The Tribal Assembly

[skulldixon]

My players are wrapping up on the Dragon of the Thunder Hills adventure and I'm planning the Tribal Assembly with the idea that a few of them will be present for part of it. I imagine that the Tribal Assembly take most of, if not all of, a week. 

 

I think it was Heroquest: King of Sartar or Sartar Companion listed what each spot in the assembly is or what God that position represents. But I'm scratching my head thinking of what the members of the Tribal Assembly will be discussing other than the news of the Starbrow's plan to carry out the LB Quest during sacred time.

 

Any insight or suggestions?

[davecake]

One thing that happens at the tribal assembly is if there is any sort of dispute involving people from two clans, generally people can go to the tribal assembly to resolve it, often by lawsuits. This is quite a business, involving jurors and lawspeakers from both clans, lots of lobbying, and generally trying to convince the tribal King to adjudicate (and they usually prefer not having to do so). That takes up a lot of the time. 

Lots of small religious ceremonies may take place as well, including Rex rites (sometimes covertly) and sacrifices to the tribal wyter. And priests sharing prophecies and omens, etc. Plus it is a good opportunity for a market. 

[ZedAlpha]

I could see all sorts of minor religious/magical things happening from the confluence of so many clan cults and spirits. Two priests of the same god from rival clans getting into a fistfight over which clan their god REALLY favors, an impromptu Heroquest done by a few drunken storytellers from a couple of allied clans retelling their favorite myths for an audience, but far better than they should have been able to. 

The inevitable small stampede when herders lose control of their flocks. 

[Darius West]

3 hours ago, skulldixon said:

My players are wrapping up on the Dragon of the Thunder Hills adventure and I'm planning the Tribal Assembly with the idea that a few of them will be present for part of it. I imagine that the Tribal Assembly take most of, if not all of, a week. 

I think it was Heroquest: King of Sartar or Sartar Companion listed what each spot in the assembly is or what God that position represents. But I'm scratching my head thinking of what the members of the Tribal Assembly will be discussing other than the news of the Starbrow's plan to carry out the LB Quest during sacred time.

Any insight or suggestions?

The Tribal Moot may well take longer than a week, depending on how large and important the clan is.  Depending on how frequent or infrequent they are there may be a lot of backlog of business to attend to.  Every Clan Chief will show up with an entourage and they will all need to be housed and fed.  The Tribal King's hospitality will be on display as a measure of their right to rule.  Much can go wrong.  Much depends on dinner.  Suggestions:

(1) Pretty much every clan will have an in-tribe feud, as feuds outside the tribe can lead to tribal wars, whereas if they are conducted within the tribe the conflict is legally limited.  On the other hand, if the tribe needs unity, there may be moves afoot to try to get feuding clans within the tribe to reconcile for major projects ahead.  Most clans will have one enemy, but there may be one clan who has many enemies. The tribal king would be leading the reconciliation process and likely funding it too.

(2) The marriage market.  Marrying within one's clan is dangerously close to incest and ogres, so a tribal moot is the very best time to find a mate.  This means music and mixed dancing, and fraternization opportunities.  This will require a lot of attention.  Tempers may flare as romantic rivalries emerge.

(3) Major market opportunities.  Keeping delegates and their entourages fed and housed is a major logistical issue, and there is inevitably a major market at clan moots as a result.  Prices will be high, and definitely a seller's market.  Inevitably there will be a fair as well, and quite possibly entertainers including even puppeteer troupes.

(4) Espionage.  All sorts of enemies will be keeping an eye on developments and hoping to sabotage anything that might hinder them.  This can be as big as major arson, or as small as a "poison word in the ear".

(5) Trade Agreements.  While much of this is already decided, a Tribal Moot can be a time to renegotiate trade.  Clans who have had bad years may be seeking to sell trade goods for cattle.  Clans who have had bumper years may be eager to sell off cattle they will have a hard time pasturing.  New goods developed in some clan may be seeking a market.  Clan Treasures may even exchange hands.

(6) Inter-Clan legal cases.  There will be a backlog of grievances.  X clan owes Y temple Z sacrifices and won't pay up.  Someone moved the crucial marker stones than mark clan boundaries.  X wants to divorce Y but Y won't redeem her dowry.  X clan sold Y clan diseased cattle.  X did a bad thing and is now outlawed from his clan but went to work for another clan within the tribe, and his home tribe think he should be outlawed completely.  These legal issues are primarily the Tribal King's problem and he must present Justice, and there will be Lawspeakers and the parties presenting the cases.

(7) Shifting alliances and factions.  There will be a lot of negotiation going on behind the scenes.  Each Clan Chief will be going to the Tribal Moot with an agenda and will want certain outcomes, and will seek to meet other delegates in private. Of course they cannot as they will be stuck in a Mead Hall all day, so they will need to deputize responsibilities to various sub-delegates in their party.  Enter the player characters.  Most clans will see nothing wrong with undermining the King's authority, as doing so weakens the lead clan's authority, and makes them less likely to be able to maintain the Kingship for more than one reign.  Meetings meetings and more meetings.

(8) Security issues.  Quite apart from espionage, a Tribal Moot is a time when may clan chiefs are in the same place at the same time.  This is a good time for a major enemy sneak attack.  All the guards for the hosting tribe and the visiting bodyguards will be on high alert; more jumpy and suspicious than usual, even as most people are having fun. 

(9) Inter-Tribal business.  Tribal Moots are a perfect time for representatives from other Tribes to send delegates to discuss issues that other Tribes have with the Tribe in question.  Smaller points above discussed not on an inter-clan level but on an inter-tribal level.  It's a big deal.

(10) Royal Business.  There may be a delegate from the Royal House of Sartar present who has a national agenda they want to press.

(11) Cult business.  The cults have a lot of influence and they often have their own agenda that may not even be in line with their own Clan Chief's.  The various Godi will be doing business behind the scenes, and may even allow certain cult members to conduct private meetings in their temple. This is useful as there aren't so many places where private meetings can take place.  Warrior cults will jockey for position within the tribe.  Initiates will jockey for priority priesthood. Priests will jockey for High Priesthood.

(12) While everyone is supposed to be having a good time, the air is always charged with emotion as there is a lot at stake, and things can boil over quickly.  Nobody wants to start a fresh feud, nobody wants to be sent home in disgrace, nobody wants a brawl, but shit happens. It is the tribal king's responsibility to keep the peace, and by proxy his weapon thanes and other guards, and the king wishes to be seen as being just, but law suits mean winners and losers.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Darius West

[skulldixon]

7 hours ago, Darius West said:

The Tribal Moot may well take longer than a week, depending on how large and important the clan is.  Depending on how frequent or infrequent they are there may be a lot of backlog of business to attend to. 

According to pg 15 of the GM Adventure Book, under the Colymar section, the Tribal Assemby happen once a year. during Movement Week of Storm Season. So thats why i was thinking it would probably be just the week. This a course has it also overlap with several other holy days and ritual events as well. So its a busy time of the year leading up to sacred time.

 

Thanks for the list of ideas; I'll be making note and adding this into the few scenes I have planned.. Looking forward to see what else others have to add. 

[David Scott]

11 hours ago, skulldixon said:

Any insight or suggestions?

If you've Sartar KoH or Sartar companion, have a look in there as there are some examples.

[skulldixon]

1 minute ago, David Scott said:

If you've Sartar KoH or Sartar companion, have a look in there as there are some examples.

I don't recall it having suggests in there for what is discussed at one of these. Though I will check again. 

Though I do know that I pulled some of how the Tribal assembly is setup from Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes pg 216. But my reading of this book (PDF) is very sporadic, so it is possible I glossed over a few things.

[jajagappa]

22 minutes ago, skulldixon said:

According to pg 15 of the GM Adventure Book, under the Colymar section, the Tribal Assemby happen once a year. during Movement Week of Storm Season. So thats why i was thinking it would probably be just the week.

Yes, I would play this as a one week long event.  Some very important rituals occur in the midst of it - particularly, Orlanth's High Holy Day which is on Windsday.  That happens to be the day for any male initiations, if they occur that year, too.  That also means that there will not be any tribal deliberations that day as all efforts are devoted to the religious events (led by the tribal king as Orlanth Rex).

Thunder Rebels p.114 has Wildday as the Tribal Market Day.  (Now I'd note that Thunder Rebels puts the Tribal Moot in Fireseason when its easiest to travel, but Stormseason works fine too given the holiest day of Orlanth)

I'd probably have the week start with folk gathering on Freezeday/Waterday.  Maybe there are celebratory games and preliminary religious events.  Clayday would mark the day to get everything ready - ritual preparations, gathering of offerings, etc. 

I'd hold the tribal moot on Fireday - the day of Judgment - when the Tribal King sits and hears all the appeals between clans.  Probably lasts all day. 

The market day would then culminate the events and people head home either that day or Godsday.

 

 

[skulldixon]

Ya, Having the PDFs for Thunder Rebels has helped a lot to flesh out a bunch of the Holy days.

Also, that week is the start of the Great Hunt, which will make things interesting. I think I'll be switching between several players for at least two sessions for that three week period in general. Bounching back and forth between the players who are particiapating in the Solo Live capture hunt of the Great Hunt, theose who will be at the Assembly for one reason or another, and those who are particapting in certain rites during the week(s). It should be fun and help cement them even further into the community aspect of the game.

 

One of the issue I think I have planned to come up during the Tribal Assembly is Queen Leika gauging the tribes general support of Kellyr Starbrow. By this point She has already give the new prince of Sartar her backing. Given her reluctance, I had her uses Queen's Day to add more significates to the announcement so that others would see this at as something more than just words. That being said, I figure she would be trying to see where each of the clan heads lean as far as supporting Kellyr goes, since - seeing the post about Jeff's FB notes on Kellyr, the clan doesn't see her as their liberator in the someway that some of the other tribes do.  And I'm sure some of the Kellyr rumors will come up - along with the idea of her possible connection to Dragons ( which will have a few worried and scared).

 

[jajagappa]

47 minutes ago, skulldixon said:

By this point She has already give the new prince of Sartar her backing. Given her reluctance, I had her uses Queen's Day to add more significates to the announcement so that others would see this at as something more than just words. That being said, I figure she would be trying to see where each of the clan heads lean as far as supporting Kellyr goes

Maybe more important than support for Kallyr is the clan interactions with Leika herself.  There's clearly a split in the Taraling between supporters of Kangharl and of Leika (since both came from that clan).  The Ernaldori (as represented by the Earth temple and the Chan family) likely blame Kallyr for both the old rebellion (which lost clans and lands to the Malani and Locaem) and the Dragonrise.  They were neutral to Kangharl, but likely support Leika now.

If you follow SKoH, the Orlmarth quietly hated Kangharl (and his Lunar allies), so probably support Leika (particularly if she hates the Greydogs). 

The Anmangarn (Black Spear) notably hated Kangharl and hid the Black Spear (or entrusted it to Leika).  Probably her most ardent supporters.

The Varmandi hate the Malani/Orleving and want Leika to support them.  The Hiording want someone to pacify the Varmandi.  The Konthasos want a good harvest.  The Antorling want to rule the whole Arfritha vale.  The Anmoring want trade coming across the bridge at Quackford - maybe get more toll rights.  Etc.  Each will likely gauge whether Leika or Kallyr is more likely to support their claims and desires.

[ZedAlpha]

Hm. You could have a good old-fashioned love dodecahedron: some young lad, lass, or lenby is sought after for marriage by seemingly every other young, marriage-aged person in the tribe due to their preternatural beauty/skill at something important/magical abilities/wealth/knack for being able to understand what sheep really mean by ‘Baa!’/all of the above. The constant woo-ing and singing and contests for his/her/their affection are threatening to break out into impromptu feuds between clans (and WITHIN clans!). Then that oh-so-eligible person catches the eye of a PC, and is smitten with that PC, and now a few hundred hotheaded young men/women/nonbinary folks are all trying to off the PC before they get married to the object of their desires. Whether or not that’ll actually happen, or any of the clans involved want it to.

[John Biles]

In King of Dragon Pass, the formation of Clans usually involves a fair amount of wheeling and dealing around obligations a clan will have to the tribe and vice versa.  Tribal moots are when arguments/legal disputes/brawls break out over these.

Things like

• Clan X has the right to run a tavern on each clan's lands.  The ladies of the other clans are angry their husbands spend too much time/resources at said tavern and set it on fire  Should the tribe fix the tavern?  Require Clan X to fix it if they want it?  Ban taverns?  
• Priestesses of the Barley and Rye goddesses have gotten angry with each other over which grain is 'more important'.  This needs to be settled.
• Every clan is obligated to grow  Y amount of various herbs and give them to Clan Z; in return, Clan Z supplies the tribal moot with food.  Clan H is refusing to give away herbs because someone in Clan Z punched the Clan H chief's brother.  Now Clan Z won't feed anyone until this is settled.
• Clan T supplies a certain number of blankets to each clan each year in return for the other clans supplying them with X amount of wool.  Clan B hands over really lousy wool and T refuses to give them blankets for this garbage.   This needs settling.
• Just because I had sex with Bogodan of Clan X the night before my wedding doesn't make it adultery!  I wasn't married yet!  I'm sure the baby is yours!  You can't divorce me over this!
• Traditionally, we trade sheep for wood with Tribe AA.  But they claim Elves blighted the wood.  Do we accept blighted wood or do we end the agreement?

 

 

[ZedAlpha]

And the classic: The Ducks want to join the tribe. No, really. They do. They’re offering a hell of a lot of food and worked goods as a gift to each clan to join the tribe’s bounty, as well as knowledge of a number of myths that they say that you’ve messed up with your weird mammal distortions. The other tribes will laugh at you—hell, a lot of the other clans will laugh at you, to say nothing of what the Lunars will do—but the little feathery bastards are wily, and surprisingly powerful warriors. Dare you risk the mockery and wrath of the Beastfolk haters to try something utterly unheard of and potentially REALLY rewarding?

[skulldixon]

2 minutes ago, ZedAlpha said:

And the classic: The Ducks want to join the tribe. No, really. They do. They’re offering a hell of a lot of food and worked goods as a gift to each clan to join the tribe’s bounty, as well as knowledge of a number of myths that they say that you’ve messed up with your weird mammal distortions. The other tribes will laugh at you—hell, a lot of the other clans will laugh at you, to say nothing of what the Lunars will do—but the little feathery bastards are wily, and surprisingly powerful warriors. Dare you risk the mockery and wrath of the Beastfolk haters to try something utterly unheard of and potentially REALLY rewarding?

I think because of the Duck Hunt though, they are now attached to the Lismelder tribe currently. I vaguely remember hearing this somewhere. Though, i guess it could come up that one or a few of the clan would see a benefit in approaching the Ducks with a friendly gesture.

[ZedAlpha]

Another few ideas: 

 

• Gimme My Treasure Back: Two (or more) clans both arguably have a decent claim to a magical treasure of great importance to local agriculture/war/spirit magic/amusing people stuck at home in Dark season. Records dating back generations show that the clans have been stealing it back and forth from each other in raids from long before the tribe was even a thing, and now the treasure-theft is threatening to start a feud that might lead to civil war within the tribe. Records are unclear on where the treasure even came from, or who claimed it first (or how, for that matter), and cooler heads are hoping for an equitable legal solution before things get even more out of hand. 
   
• I’ll Make My Own Clan, with Blackjack, and Uleria Priestesses!: The most discontented stickpickers and hotheaded malcontents from many of the tribe’s clans have gathered together at the moot and declared that they’re a brand new clan. Somehow, they’ve managed to form a wyter (and an unusually strong one, at that!) and gathered the blessings of enough gods and spirits for it to be legitimate. Now, they’re threatening to leave and join a rival tribe if they aren’t placated by the King and the royal council. If they leave, they’ll take all their former clans’ secrets with them, too. But can anyone really trust these jerks? 
   
• You’re In My Chair: A former beloved tribal King has returned from the dead as a sentient zombie and doesn’t seem to believe he died a generation ago. He won’t let go of the tribal regalia, he won’t get out of the throne, he won’t stop calling the current King (or Queen) a usurper, and for some weird reason the tribal spirits/gods are backing him up, and seem to think that he’s the current legitimate King. If the tribe’s Humakti do their job, they risk stripping the Tribe of a majority of its blessings (and possibly sparking a civil war among some clans that might prefer Old King Deadguy to the current monarch) when the “rightful” king is murdered. Can anyone solve this peacefully?
   
• A Moot Point: A full moot of the tribe is called to adjudicate a titilatingly grotesque inter-clan murder case: a young cotter has turned into a serial murderer, stating that the gods themselves have told him to ritually slay his family—according to him, a bloodline cursed to attract some sort of nasty Chaos monster—to ward off a disaster. He’s definitely guilty of kinstrife (and in fact is willing to accept the consequences of his actions), but some of the omens around the case suggest that there might be some truth to the story that his extended family (which is spread across three or four clans at this point) actually is cursed, and might be dangerous to keep around. Some priests argue that the risk of “passive” chaos corruption from kinstrife is lesser than the risk of being ravaged by Godzilla next Tuesday if these farmers remain alive, others are demanding for his blood (and massive compensation from his clan), while his own clan are arguing that they’ve had a lean year, and can’t possibly afford all that weregild. The kid himself is alright with being outlawed and executed, as long as someone finishes off the rest of his family before the monster comes. Can somebody get to the bottom of this before something bad happens? And can someone please get that merchant to stop selling popcorn to the gawkers at the trial moot? 

Edited March 13, 2021 by ZedAlpha

[skulldixon]

Those are all fun suggestions. 

 

I'm wondering if there is any updated information on who all the current 1625 Clan Chiefs are in the Coylmar tribe?

The GM Adventure book gives us a few but doesn't list all of them, but the best I can come up with by looking at Heroquest resources is the follow:

• Anmangarn: Vestorfin
• Antorling:
• Arnoring: Londra of Londros (Maybe?) 
• Enhyli:
• Enjossi:
• Ernaldori: Baranthos son of Dunorl the Old
• Hiording: Varangost
• Konthasos: Henth the Steady(?)
• Narri: 
• Orlmarth: Savan Kenstrelsson
• Taraling: Verinos the Old
• Varmandi: Korol Serpent-Tongue

Edited March 17, 2021 by skulldixon
Updating list of name from community support

[jajagappa]

19 minutes ago, skulldixon said:

I'm wondering if there is any updated information on who all the current 1625 Clan Chiefs are in the Coylmar tribe?

Pegasus Plateau p.35 has the Hiording chieftain: The Hiording chieftain is a Storm Voice named Varangost. He is from a locally important noble family. His brother Drenlon was the Thane of Apple Lane until he was killed by Lunar soldiers in 1621. As a result, Varangost has Hate (Lunar Empire) 60%.

 

[skulldixon]

Sweet! I'll update the list

[Leingod]

It wasn't ever exactly "canon," I think, but Gloranthan Adventures 1: New Beginnings gave the Konthasos a chieftain named Henth the Steady, a farmer who mostly just wants to keep his people fed and alive. Though he did canonically get head-hunted by Thanatari, you can just assume that hasn't happened, since your PCs haven't run that campaign.

[ZedAlpha]

My partner and I are playing Six Ages, and you can steal one of our chiefs, if you want: An Elmal/Yelmalio-worshipping warrior with truly heroic martial skill and solar magic, who is now about 87 years old. Everyone's waiting for the old bastard to die, but while he's alive he's a steadfast ally if you can convince him that you're one of his friends. 70 years of inter-clan warfare and war against Lunars and Trolls have made him a stab first ask questions never kind of chief. Honorable, though.

[Darius West]

On 3/13/2021 at 4:37 AM, skulldixon said:

According to pg 15 of the GM Adventure Book, under the Colymar section, the Tribal Assemby happen once a year. during Movement Week of Storm Season. So thats why i was thinking it would probably be just the week. This a course has it also overlap with several other holy days and ritual events as well. So its a busy time of the year leading up to sacred time.

 

Thanks for the list of ideas; I'll be making note and adding this into the few scenes I have planned.. Looking forward to see what else others have to add. 

Colymar are more organized and larger than most clans, I suspect.  Tribal assemblies are an ongoing headache for the hosting clan, as for all the opportunities they bring, the hosts have to provide justice and hospitality, and that often means they lose out economically.

[Joerg]

2 minutes ago, Darius West said:

Colymar are more organized and larger than most clans, I suspect.  Tribal assemblies are an ongoing headache for the hosting clan, as for all the opportunities they bring, the hosts have to provide justice and hospitality, and that often means they lose out economically.

A tribal moot provides lots of trading, and marriage feasts go a long way to feed the crowd, too, while being shouldered by the clans involved.

For quite a few tribes, the confederated city may work as the staging area for a tribal moot, or rather a convenient mustering ground outside of said city where the city militia practice is held, too.

In fact, such miliitia practices may be used to hold a tribal moot. Two birds with one stone.

 

Marriages serve as a means to knit long-term relationships to other clans - usually to friendly clans you would want your daughters to live in, but also to hostile clans to end a conflict. The Coming Storm depicts the Cinsina as something almost like a Triaty in its early stages, with preferred Red Cow marriage partners inside the tribe (except for the Dolutha), and recently added clans taken over from the Culbrea.

On the other hand, if you take an old Asrelia priestess and try to track her female offspring through the tribes, you are likely to find a dozen or more clans where these descendants would have moved. (One can assume that high-ranking daughters will be the victim of political and peace-bringing marriages more often than cottar daughters.)

After considering this, I have come to the conclusion that when traveling through Sartar and approaching a clan territory, your characters would strive to remember which of the young women they grew up with or which they have seen marrying away since would live here, or to remember what women of one's clan may have been born here, and ask to contact those for an introduction into the clan and when asking for hospitality. Gossip from the birth clan or about a daughter married away is a well-established form of payment for hospitality received.

There are cases where young men are married off into other clans. In Sartar this exoandry is a lot less usual than exogamy.

Year marriages are a special case. At least one member of a couple undergoing a year marriage will leave a child with another clan. If the other parent later marries into another clan, none of the child's parents will be legally in charge of the child any more. Instead, the grandparents, or uncles and aunts.

Visitors to other clans might thus bring news to a child from its parents. Whether that is welcome or not with the guardians of said child is yet another question.

 

A tribal moot will allow such family reunions. A city confederation's great moot with militia training even more so.

[Bill the barbarian]

On 3/12/2021 at 2:35 AM, Darius West said:

The Tribal Moot may well take longer than a week, depending on how large and important the clan is.  Depending on how frequent or infrequent they are there may be a lot of backlog of business to attend to.  Every Clan Chief will show up with an entourage and they will all need to be housed and fed.  The Tribal King's hospitality will be on display as a measure of their right to rule.  Much can go wrong.  Much depends on dinner.  Suggestions:

 

Thanks Darius, we have (my gaming group) now had two occasions to get together and celebrate (one the adventurers were even feted and one was Yule) and I have been trying to let them know what they can accomplish at these events. If fact I think I have mentioned all that you list here, to no avail. Well, I have now posted the above for them to consider for the next time they together (sacred time) and I hope they follow your notes if not mine. 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Bill the barbarian

[Jeff]

The most anyone travels to a Tribal Assembly is about 40 km (from Lizard Kicks Inn to Halfort or from the far side of Two Sisters to Clearwine). In most cases, the maximum is around 30 km. In many tribes, pretty much everyone is within 10 km of the assembly place. Even among the Colymar, most attendees travel no more than about 10 km (which means the clans around Clearwine often play a disproportionate role in the assembly). 

There's also little difference between the tribal assembly and the militia mustering.

FIRE SEASON

Fire Season is the equivalent of summer. It is mostly warm to hot, and dry, punctuated by afternoon thunderstorms with heavy but brief rains or even hail.

Militia Service

Able-bodied adults are required to perform labor or military service on behalf of the clan. Service is typically owed to the clan chieftain, who in turn owes it to the tribal king, and on to the Prince. 

Tribal Assembly

Representatives of the clans meet in assembly with their king and tribal council. This coincides with the militia gathering, and the clan militias often attend the assembly. 

[Jeff]

26 minutes ago, Jeff said:

The most anyone travels to a Tribal Assembly is about 40 km (from Lizard Kicks Inn to Halfort or from the far side of Two Sisters to Clearwine). In most cases, the maximum is around 30 km. In many tribes, pretty much everyone is within 10 km of the assembly place. Even among the Colymar, most attendees travel no more than about 10 km (which means the clans around Clearwine often play a disproportionate role in the assembly). 

There's also little difference between the tribal assembly and the militia mustering.

FIRE SEASON

Fire Season is the equivalent of summer. It is mostly warm to hot, and dry, punctuated by afternoon thunderstorms with heavy but brief rains or even hail.

Militia Service

Able-bodied adults are required to perform labor or military service on behalf of the clan. Service is typically owed to the clan chieftain, who in turn owes it to the tribal king, and on to the Prince. 

Tribal Assembly

Representatives of the clans meet in assembly with their king and tribal council. This coincides with the militia gathering, and the clan militias often attend the assembly. 

That last piece is very important in understanding the dynamics in most tribal assembly.