Orlanthi Clan Chiefs/Tribal Kings & Queens

[Jeff]

2 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

Those who want to settle scores remember past events in which they believe the candidate did not display Justice, Honor, or Generosity.  If there are a majority of such people that casts doubt on the candidate's Wisdom in running for clan chief.

So it is all relevant.

Bias?  Yes there is bias on politics.  As soon as you grant that this is not just going to be a comparison of stats on character sheets, you should recognize that it's politics.  That is why I mentioned the question of who judges whatever the chief contest may be.

A clan is an extended kinship group, not a political district. So imagine the average clan in Sartar with about 600 adults. About 40 adults belong to the clan aristocracy of priests and thanes (and their immediate family), about 400 are full free members of the clan, about 100 are semi-free tenants and other adult dependents, and about 60 are unfree.

The chief is almost always going to come out of that group of 40, and most likely there are no more five or six potential candidates. Everyone in the clan likely knows who the potential candidates are. If there is more than one actual candidate, the 400 full free members decide who that is. But usually this is just decided by acclamation - everyone knew that Baranthos was going to become chief after his uncle died - his immediate family (who had led the tribe for nearly two decades) agreed that he was the family leader, the Clearwine Earth temple (led by members of his immediate family) supported him, and he even had ties to the Sartar Dynasty. There really was no other real candidate. 

Now among the Varmandi a few years back the choice was less clear-cut. After so much suffering from war and rebellion, the clan assembly was dominated by the women of the Ernalda cult and a wealthy (and peaceful) farmer was chosen instead of a Wind Lord (who had the backing of the Orlanth cult leaders). That happens, but it is relatively uncommon.