Hey all, trying to get a bit more up here so here be some stuff I wrote for a Halo RP forum about my favorite bunch of murderous space birds. Some thoughts on their culture that I thought would fit them and make them more than just space traveling eaters of flesh and lovers of melons. I'll try to be expanding on the main Clans/Nests mentioned later but for basics before the main info;

Most of these clans are located on Ah'lomet. Leaving Ruuht open for others. But the land masses are large and asteroids many so don't think these are the only players.

Gel: The current Big Boat of the Ah'lomet alliance. Makes many of the finest warriors and leaders of the Kig-Yar populace. A stronghold of the T'vaoan Breed.

Eox: The creators and mavericks of the alliance as they experiment with weaponry. Comprised mainly of Ibie'Shan.

Hul: The stable bedrock of the alliance. Shipwrights and space makers. Ruuthian in majority.

Sha: Nestled on an island in between the two mega continents these are one of the stranger clans as they not only are a mix of breeds but choose to mainly stay where they are and live a simple life of peace. This makes their lands a very popular holiday destination for leaders of other clans to get away from the stress and chaos of life.

And noaw the info;

Keep in mind that nearly everything that's here is not actually canon, and just how *I* personally view their culture. Though some things we have seen in the books (the PDA as one example). You may have other ideas and that's fine, these are just my thoughts. Hopefully this will help people understand the space chickens better. Wrote most of this from the perspective of a Kiggy Mistress to her brood/a class of young Fluffs in an unnamed Clan on Eyan most likely near the end or just after the wars end.

A larger note on the female Kig-Yar. We have never seen one in game or an official image of one. So until then we can only go based on what we do know. We do know that they are different from the males(larger), less head spines more callous shoulder and neck plate for common Kigs and no feather mane instead a neck ruff for T'vaoan. We also know they lay eggs, so female Kig-Yar will not have boobies or breasts - that is all.

I would also imagine there is a disconnect between Asteroid and Planet Kigs since; the Covenant have a better hold on the Asteroids, so planet Kigs would think them indoctrinated and dumb and asteroid Kigs thinking surface ones are heathens. Also there could be the argument that Surface Kigs are the 'pure' and 'natural' ones while the Asteroid ones would say they are the new age and intelligent ones. Possibly a place for conflict. (For example when Cad(Asteroid) and Roh(Planet) first met Cad was very unaware of Eyan politics because he was Asteroid raised - thankfully Roh was understanding and didn't get too annoyed.)

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Disclaimer:
To address a concern that people have had; as pointed out above and lower in the headers of some sections this is written from a specific perspective and therefore will have opinions and bias's based on their own experiences. Take that into account when reading and know that drawing your own conclusions is possible and encouraged to make the Kig-Yar population on the site more diverse and more like an actual diverse species. Remember that what is said gives *A* view of the Kig-Yar culture and some of its customs, mannerisms, and technology. It does not and indeed doesn't try to cover all possible individuals and personal experiences. But the hope is that the viewpoint will help to make reading easier and then after reading allow readers to make their own judgments.

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Naming; (Most of this is based of the few Kiggy and T'vaoan names we know, just made reasons for why it's like that.)

Back in ye olden' times of water boats and swords nearly all Kigs shared the same type of names. With a personal name and then a clan name after it. Males however, because they were smaller and not as awesome as the females their names were slightly shorter. An example of a male name is something like Sav Fel, where-as a female name would be something like Chol Von.

However, when the Covenant invaded and beat our fleet into submission we were forced to abandon our clan names to appease the Sangheili. They tried to separate us from our history and just be their little soldiers, like the foolish Unggoy. But, they may have broken our fleet, but they couldn't break our traditions. For a short time we dropped the clan names so they would get off our back - while our Clans continued to exist in their keeps and nests. But as time went on their over watch on us lessoned and lessoned and we slowly started to return to our roots. The T'vaoan were the first to jump back on this as they seemed more connected to their nests than our more common brethren. Some of us have began identifying with our Nests again, but often it's just us that have managed to avoid the drafts and fly free of Covenant control. Those of us who serve those head-in-the-cloud split faces often leave the name at home to avoid their ire. The T'vaoan however, have apparently proved themselves enough to prominently displayed their Nest name - like Kael Gel - right in front of the Sangheili without any issue.

One day we will be free of the Split Faces however, then you can call yourself whatever you want.


Gods; (Aecor is Latin for sea, since the Forerunners re-seeded with some Human things I thought it would fit.)

While you CAN believe in the Forerunners as Gods and swallow the Great Journey and anything else the San 'Shyuum want to shove down your beak know that most of us will roll our eyes at you and talk about it behind your back. So yeah, free to choose that if you want. Keep in mind however that the Asteroid dwellers are generally more accustomed to them being the proper Gods because the Covenant had a better grasp on those compared to down here deep in Clan territory. Us down here often don't believe in anything, as if there was a God for us they would have helped us when we were being beaten down in space. But those of us that do often just fall back on our ancient beliefs of a God of the Sea. We call it Aecor - I say it because it's been a debate for eons as to weather Aecor is male or female so it's a safe bet to just refer to it, if there is something there, by their name. Personally? I would say it's male, since they never seem to do anything to actually help and it's always off doing it's own thing.

Some Clans may have other Gods, or smaller sub deities under Aecor for things like the fish we eat or the founders of their Clans - but Aecor is pretty well accepted everywhere. But we don't often pray or offer tribute to it - some clans pray and offer tribute though. We as a species show our reverence by keeping the Oceans as pure as we can and the fish living in it still alive, some just go beyond this. One of the reasons the Spice Sisterhood isn't liked in many places - they pollute the Oceans to gather their toxins. And also continuing to loot and gather winnings in their name as Pirates of the Sea and of Space. But no temples, that would just be ghastly...least no temples here.


Clothing; (What I thought would fit based on Kiggy skeletons - but Chol wore something similar to the wealthy look when she visited a tea house - Kael has a set like that as well.)

Since you will often be doing work for your Clan or training or fighting, the clothing you wear will need to be functional and able to take some roughing. And since you, and all of us, have some type of beak and a large skull- some more some less - you generally can't have the tiny neck hole you see on the Human clothing. Instead one of the most common articles of clothing for workers of our race is Coveralls that you can just step in, through the front or back, and avoid the issue of having to get your head through the hole all together. Even the higher up Captains, Shipmistress, and wealthy merchants often avoid the neck hole issue by wearing vests or waist-coats.

The current 'style' now for the wealthy seemed to be a short or long sleeve shirt, with a small neck hole so they would have to be very careful getting it on or pay for very flexible fabric. A waist-coat over that, a belt often with the crest of their clan on the buckle, fitted pants that go down to just above the foot, and coverings for the tops of their feet if anything at all. Looks very uncomfortable if you ask me but it would cost a pretty penny to get all that fitted and I'm sure that's more the point than anything.

Whatever you wear just remember that getting it off is often harder than on, especially for you T'vaoan male fluffs with your mane there, so if you want to try and emulate the wealthy with over head clothing just be-ware of that. Or we will all laugh at you as you flail around trying to get it off. Shoes are up to you but it's often no-shoes as your feet have to be tough enough to let you run and jump. Otherwise it's up in the air.

Armor is different as it's worn for combat and not comfort, but the same principals still apply. At least the Sunk Covenant we're nice enough for the Kig-Yar to take that into account, but the T'vaoan have to work hard to get that armor on their chest and then back to avoid the neck hole problem. Generally best to keep your clothing simple, as it will likely get damaged when you are working or training and you don't want to spend too much getting it replaced.


Technology; (Check out the Borders arsenal for examples of weapons. Think of the PP as a smart phone type of deal - some large tablet sized and some smaller.)

Ignoring that Sunk purple plastered stuff that the Covenant keeps trying to make us use - we have a lot of tech of our own that you will be using. As unlike the Unggoy we were actually intelligent enough to make things before the Sangheili showed up.

Weaponry is pretty common around here - as you can never be sure when an old enemy will show up to try and stab you up. Or a friend that you owe something too, or a friend that is owned by another Clan. But because of that you will often see everyone armed to differing extents when they walk around clan lands. Sidearm's are generally accepted everywhere where larger arms are generally only allowed to be carried by that Clan's lands guards. Armor is often reserved for guards as well, but T'vaoan often wear their leg armor when around - it's apparently comfortable to them. Blades and melee weapons are in a similar case as sidearms, expect everyone to have some kind of knife on them for eating fish and also stabbing fools. Don't be a fool. And don't give me that look. With everyone armed it's less likely one idiot will start a fight as everyone would turn on the aggressor and they would be put down faster than they could draw. It's an understanding that keeps fighting to a minimum - you'll understand when you are older. In some places however, like on Nest Sha's land, you will be asked to hand over your weapons if you wish to walk their grounds - it's part of their culture and ideals. But often worth it as their lands are very beautiful and you can learn a lot there.

There is a piece of tech that you will become very familiar with as you get older and if you are more than just a metal worker or beggar. It goes by many names depending on where you are at but it's mostly just called a Personal Pad or PP. It's a little touch screen device that is connected to our trade networks and displays your account holdings and any relevant info about you. It's how you will be identified if you are dead. It's about twice the size of your hand now, but when your older you'll be able to hold it easily and hold it in most pockets and all bags. Some of the more recent models can have little games on then and even make calls to other models as well as check your financial info. Once you prove yourself responsible you may receive one from your Clan. No, you can't see mine - not getting your little messy paws over the screen.


Nests and Clans; (Nests are like city-states in Civilization, while Clans are Players.)

A Nest, like what we are. Is a collection of Kig-Yar that control a town. Sometimes a Clan may oversee us or protect us but otherwise allow us to function autonomously. While a Clan is a collection of Nests joined together or one large Nest that was large enough to declare it'self a Clan. These days new Clans are not made that often, so Nest is often used interchangeably to refer to a Clan even if it's not 100% correct. The more you know little fluff.

Oh, and you may be aware of the 'Government' that the Covenant have tried to saddle us with? Ignore it. They are just a group of Kig-Yar who gladly take the position to be allowed to do absolutely nothing and get paid to live a cushy live. It's a pretty desirable position to be elected a Covenant official these days. But the real ruling body of Eyan and the asteroids is the Commodores Council - each of the clan leaders meeting to discuss matters of grave importance. But there hasn't been a meeting in years as there is nothing that drastic now. Just each clan doing it's own thing and filling the quota needed so we will be left alone by the Covenant. At most Commodores just call each other to discuss trade agreements or individuals that need killing.


Social ranks;

All of you right now are just Fluffs, but that still elevates you above those without a Clan because your in this one. So good for you for being born. Those without clans are generally separated into three 'classes' if you would; Those whose Clan has been wiped out, through war or a massive asteroid accident, are generally know as Lost. Little lost birds searching for a home. Those who were in a Clan that was absorbed or joined with another clan to make a stronger one but did not stay with them after the merger are known as Vagrants. Searching for purpose without a home since they left it. Vagrant also refers to those that left the Clan of there own free will. Finally if an individual is exiled from their Clan they are a Bilge. The lowest of the low in the ship that is life, often facing execution if they return. So don't do that.

Inside a clan there is also a general ranking system, and although it can vary between clans this is our method that also follows most of the other clans;
- Worker/Crew - The ones that manufacture and produce either goods or food.
- Manager/Officer - Leader of a group of workers that ensures work is happening as well as hearing concerns and passes on the word of the...
- Boss/Captain - Leader of a small group of officers, generally overseeing a town or section of a city in a Clans lands.
- Master/Mistress (Nest Leader) - Often the highest rank able to be obtained these individuals lead the entire nest or in the case of a clan often a city in their lands, and is only required to listen to a...
- Commodore (Clan Leader) - The grand commander of an entire Clan, Zaat Gel being an example as Gel's Commodore. These leaders have the final say in anything the Clan will do and is the only one able to declare a war on another clan. Either several nests must come together and then elect a Commodore to lead them or one Nest must get large enough and cover enough area to be recognized as a Clan - as Gel did.

You as fluffs are not part of any group now, and as such have no say in social matters until you are old enough to join one. But we care about you because you are the future, which is one of the reasons why you are getting this education now.


Crime and Punishment; (Yar-har-fiddle-dee-de being a pirate is alright with me!)

Should I ever catch any of you doing this I'll cook you up myself and feed you to the fishes. But crime is a fairly common occurrence in most civilizations, even the split-faces, which never stops being funny to me. Anything from stealing from someone else to killing them to vandalizing or sabotaging property, selling secrets to rival clans, anything really that negatively impacts the clan or nest as a whole can be deemed a crime. The larger the crime the higher up the chain of command of the clan it will go to be decided. For example an Officer would be the one to deal with theft, a Captain with murder, a Mistress for trying to sabotage the clan or selling secrets, and often only a Commodore in the cases of large betrayal.

Each clan has their own punishments for dealing with the crimes committed, some lax and some very severe, but here are some examples. Hopefully at least some of them will make you think twice before committing some of these crimes. The criminal is often exiled after these punishments - but that depends on the clan.

Gel :
* Theft - One hand, of the criminals choice, will be removed from their body.
* Murder - The criminal will be the testing dummy for Gel blades, dummy intended to last more than one test.
* Sabotage/selling - The offending criminal will be placed into an arena with no weapons against a Gel that is also unarmed, except the Gel will be one the best hand to hand fighters available. The criminal will be beaten to near death, have a few bones broken, and then allowed time to heal just enough to stand before round two begins. The rounds are either best of three or best of five, depending on the severity of the sabotage. Some criminals have had time to heal so that the bouts would last a year before finally being strangled to death, or had their neck snapped, or whatever method the Gel fighter chooses on the day.
* Betrayal - The leader of the betrayal will be forced to watch as every single person (often the crew of a captain) that had a hand it is made to kneel before and look into the leaders eyes - before each crew member is killed before them so the Captain can see all the lives that they threw away. The Leader is often then given the third punishment.

Sha:
* Theft - The criminal is required to turn over the stolen item, apologize, and then give the victim an item or Gekz equal to the value of the item they stole.
* Murder - The family of the victim, or group of randomly selected peers, sets the physical punishment - which is only limited by no death. The Criminal is then required to serve a time of manual labor for the clan. Time is dependent on the rank of the victim.
* Sabotage/selling - The criminal is sealed inside a weighted container with a small hole and tossed into an inland lake, can't be polluting the water. The hole small enough that the criminal is often in a state of mental agony wondering what will happen first. Drowning or the failure of the barrel and then being crushed by the pressure.
* Betrayal - The criminal is placed in a diving suit and used for bait during spear, or in extreme cases, deep sea fishing. The Sha fishers, small fish they hunt, and creatures of the deep making the death last a good long while.

Eox:
* Theft - The word thief will be burned into the criminals arm with red hot metals.
* Murder - The word murderer will be burned into the criminal with white hot metal, the criminal will then have to assist in the construction of a firearm, and if the weapon does not come out complete, the process will repeat until it is or the criminal dies.
* Sabotage/selling - Same as murder, except the criminal will be additionally burned and then have to assist in the molding of bullets. The criminal will then have to shoot themselves with the weapon and ammo they produced, where being up to the criminal. They are then released.
* Betrayal - Rather than a firearm, the criminal will be involved in cannon construction, with much larger burns and a longer procedure. Only one criminal has ever completed the project before dying of the burns, and they were then allowed to go free. But from what I remember the remainder of her life wasn't that pleasant.

Hul:
* Theft - The criminal will receive lashes to the bare back, equal to the worth of the item divided by ten.
* Murder - With their arms bound to their fronts and their feet to a rope attached to a row or sail boat the criminal will be dragged for a distance determined by the Captain - though since the Hul ships and crew are very fast they often just wait until they are sure the criminal is dead. Or the criminal may choose to be Keelhauled, but the Hul Captain gets to choose the vessel.
* Sabotage/selling - Similar to murder, except the criminal is attached to a harness and steel line to a Hul Speed Boat, once it is up to speed they are pushed off the back, and left to bounce and crash across the surface of the water as their bones are broken, skin torn off, and limbs often removed.
* Betrayal - The criminal will be led into a room with a number of Hul injectors on a table, they will then have to pick and inject themselves until they find the injector with just water in it. But by then they are often lethally poisoned and left to slowly puke and die over several hours. Though a few incredibly lucky criminals have been able to choose correctly on the first try and let free.

Keep in mind, fluffs, that despite the punishments for crime sometimes you just need information - and even if the punishments seem barbaric they often don't get you the information you desire. Mistress Chol put it best I think; "Torture and violence were a hobby for the Humans, a substitute for intelligent questions for the short tempered four-jaws, but a last resort from a Kig-Yar"(Mortal Dictata, 271). As such remember that only convicted criminals get the severe punishments - otherwise unduly punishing a source of information will just make you seem like an idiot and get you no-where fast.



Relationships with other Kig-Yar; (Since we don't know the gender ratio of the Kig-Yar this made sense to me to have it this way. Accepted but maybe not super common. But if there are more males than females (as seems to be the case in the games since we never see females) a same-sex male relationship is probably more common.)

Despite the norm being that you would meet a nice Nest-Mate and get some little chicks to continue the Clan that's not all that you could do. Often times since the males work with other males doing the ground work and the females discuss management with the other females relationships can form from that as you often form connections with those around you the most. Or you could be like me and just not want to deal with male incompetence in my relationship and instead choose a female mate. (For males it would be not wanting to work for someone else their entire lives or be constantly nagged/told what to do(henpecked).)

And we may be united in our distrust of certain groups of individuals and in the traditional pursuit of wealth and items of value but inside our own species, with all our breeds, there are some things to be aware of in regards to our differences.
- Firstly; not all of us are equal - I laugh every time I hear some Human trying to preach that from their little pocket book. Best to just accept that now. Some are born into high status, and some are born into cookers and cleaners. While its certainly possible to rise from a position, and equally possible to fall, it takes a good amount of work or luck or careful political maneuvering to do that. To fall it would just be the opposite.
- Secondly; Those that have status and standing are powerful - Lets look at the most obvious example of standing, the heads of the Clans. They have complete control over our lives in the clan, and while its rare to happen these days if you get in their way, even if you haven't committed a crime, they can kill you. They would face repercussions of course but nothing much will come of it. At most they will have to shell out some coins to your family to 'cover the loss'. As such its generally a good idea to know who the powerful are so you can avoid them, and if forced to act know which member in a group you are with deserves the most reverence.
- Thirdly; Those with power love being reminded - Variable from clan to clan, Sha being notorious for their Commodores and elite being very modest, but on the whole the Officers, Captains, and Commodores love being reminded that they are what they are. Here are some general tips to remember when dealing with them; making eye contact is accepted only if they have already addressed you first - staring at those with more standing than you could be seen as desiring their place, making you seem like you may be planning something. Or you are enamored with them but they may not see it that way. A handshake or any kind of physical contact is, once more, only accepted once they have done so first. Normally also they are the ones who reach out to you. For example if they put a hand on your shoulder when they are discussing something, or congratulating you on some task - even though they started the action - its generally a good idea to just put your hand on their hand that is on your shoulder. Reaching to them means you are seeing yourself as an equal. Which if you aren't is a dangerous gesture...Keep your hands to yourself you in the back!
- Last; Breeds and Gender - While what breed of Kig-Yar is seen as the highest be default varies a lot by location it is nearly always the case that a female will be higher than a male in social standing. As it should be. So generally its best to assume that a female is higher than you male fluffs and treat her with respect...yes. I don't of course mean to be dismissive of the males around you fellow females - as they will be the ones likely working for you and if they like you they will work better - this is all just knowledge for you. As for bredd its easy, just at whatever breed the Commodore of the lands you are in is and go off that. So for Gel T'vaoan are often seen as higher than Ruuhtians and Ibie'shans - I'm sure you can work out the rest. None of you look thicker than a Hul hull.


Relationships with alien species; (Keep in mind these are general views, individuals can be friends with whoever they want.)

* Unggoy
While relationships between our races are strained at best, and rightly so because those Gas suckers are near useless, they can still be used for a few tasks reliably. They don't seem to care much about what you pay them to do as long as you pay them on the assigned day. A few wealthy often have them as guards as they do that pretty well. But on the whole you generally want to show them that you are the boss so they don't get any uppity ideas. But always be sure you have friends around or they are alone. As we saw in their rebellion when they break they break hard. So in short; keep them down, but be ready to run if you shove too hard - reliable for simple jobs.

* Sangheili
In nearly every single case it's not even worth talking to them. They will flat out ignore you in most cases, shove you aside in some, or flat out kill you because they think they are THAT much better than we. Sink them all to the bottom of the sea honestly. However, keep in mind that despite their attitude their society is only focused on one thing, combat. So they often don't have time to farm or go out on their own to get items. That's where you could come in. Several of our kind have made a literal fortune buying food for cheap from farming worlds and going to sell it to Sangheili outposts for a mark up. Sometimes they will also approach us with a contact to find something for pay, generally a fairly trivial thing for us because unlike their minds we aren't shackled in a cage of one dimensional planning. In short, avoid most of the time, but their stupidity can easily be made into a profitable venture by the clever.

* Jiralhanae
Generally advised to stay away, they often don't want anything to do with us and in some cases have been known to kill and eat us for sport. They can sometimes be like the Sangheili where their stupidity make them blind to money ventures, but working with them is risky as they only seem to be honorable when it serves their interested and have gone back on deals before. So working for them is generally only reserved for the desperate or one with personal connections. Those that are offering services to us however should be examined closely as they have a lot more skills than just hitting things. While they do make good guards just having one around is often enough to deter thieves. But they are also good at getting vehicles, Covenant or their own. We suspect it has to do with them shooting up the Covie ranks that it's over looked if some ships go 'missing' in their charge. They also make great gardeners, give one an orchard and they will be happy for a good while. In short, careful with dealing with them, but they are good guards and vehicle acquirers, also they are good workers and can be appeased with nature to look
after.

* Yanme'e
Ugh...avoid unless you have to deal with them. They often needs things or a taxi service and pay decently well but...they are just so creepy. Do whatever you want with them if you can make it work just know it may fail. I've seen great successes and massive failure with the bugs.

* San 'Shyuum
Sink. These. Bastards. Not only do they now NOT pay all the clans for the quotas they demand from us they have repeatedly ignored our attempts to contact them about this discrepancy. If you ever actually see one that isn't on the other side of a screen think all the evilness you want about them but don't say anything. They would just declare you a heretic and then you would be dead. Bastards.

* Mgalekgolo
Keep in mind that despite their appearance they are intelligent, somehow, so don't dance around them calling them names as they will understand you and not appreciate it. Just best to let them do what they want to do and stay out of their way so they don't 'accidently' step on you.

* Huragok
Despite how fun you would think it would be to poke the floating gas sac and shove it around, don't. They would never even consider doing anything cruel to you and are very beneficial. You can try to talk to it if you want but it only knows some gesture language that none of us have bothered to learn yet - but try if you want too. Best to just leave them be or occasionally try to bring them something they could eat. Being nice to the mechanic never hurts.

* Human (UNSC)
They see us as the enemy, and when you see them they will usually be training sights on you at that moment. They see us as happy little birds under the command of the Sangheili masters. And while that isn't true it's what they will believe when they see you. Normally it's not worth trying to talk with them as their language is tricky to learn and they often won't want to hear anything us 'evil' aliens have to say. Generally best to just get behind cover and fire back and only attempt communication as a last resort. Though if you want to kill them go ahead, more power to you. They often aren't good business partners anyway.

* Human (Independent)
These Humans on the other hand are great business partners. Rather than seeing us as enemies they see us as another group that is subjugated by the powers above them. The language barrier is hard to get across but there are a good amount of Kig's that have learned their language. If you don't have the time to learn it yourself just pay one of them to do it for you. BE WARNED however that the UNSC Humans and the Covenant both seem to be against this group. So while trading with them is often very profitable you also run the risk of being targeted by both sides of the war. And they all have bigger ships than you.


Food and drink; (Remember that despite what other races think, Kigs love fruit not just meat. Also, thanks BetaW, some Kigs are trying to travel the stars in search of super exotic plants to make Tea with - some making relationships with the other species just to observe and test their plants.)

Despite the fact many of you will only remember a few foods that weren't regurgitated for you by your Mama there's a wide assortment of food available for consumption as long as you can afford it. Fish will likely be your main diet, as the sea is large and plentiful, and inner land farms help supplement that. It would take too long for me to list all the different types of fish and the ways they could be prepared but keep in mind it's often expected that you eat the entire thing, bones and all. Don't give me that look, your teeth can handle it and it will help your bones grow as well. Also from the sea are shelled creatures and those make great eats, my favorite being Talon Skitters (cooked mollusks) , I hope one day some of you will be able to have something that expensive. Besides fish there are a bunch of land animals that are also great to eat; birds, Oui, creatures like that. But just eating meat won't do you any good so remember to eat your berries and your greens - and of course your fruit. Though judging by the food you all came with you know the value of fruit. Well done. You all better not be caught eating that Human sugar stuff by the way. That garbage will rot your teeth right out of your beak!

As for drinks you will just need to know about a few now, as drinking alcohol at your age isn't a stellar idea. Water is fairly common to drink around here, purified and such. It also comes in a bunch of flavors for your little minds to wrap around. Then there's the Sweetner, any kind of drinkable liquid that you tossed a sweet pack into - a common drink for a lot of Space crews as it makes any drink better to drink with a better taste as well as vitamins. And of course one of our mainstay drinks Tea. I'm sure you were all told the tales of the great Tea Empires of old that sailed the seas amassing power and influence? Mostly true, except it was a bunch of different companies looking for land to claim as there's. But the Tea they were able to create from the different leafs on this planet made a myriad of flavors that we can enjoy today with synthesized leafs. Getting the natural stuff is still possible but a lot more expensive, so it's normally a good idea to just go with the normal stuff. Tea is another common drink for sailors as it's simple to brew up a pot of it.

For when you get older though it will become more socially acceptable for you to have a drink with some more kick to it, the specific age will depend on the Clan but for us it's seventeen. Non-alcoholic drinks often don't have a name for their size but these do, a small glass (shot) would be called a Claw and a bigger glass (glass/mug/pint) would be a Talon. You've probably seen personalized glasses in your parents horde, some craftswomen and men make good business making those. But after you've selected your size of serving you then have to pick the amount of boooooze in it. Each clan may have different strategies for mixing but all of them, even those reservists Sha, have drinks on their lands. It's a naval tradition after all. But some of the more common drinks are as follows - take notes if you want but I ain't going to be buying you lot any. Go nag your own parents for that;
Arranged by alcohol content.
15% or less - First Light, White Shore, a Sandy, Foam top.
45% or less - Afternoon Light, Shallow sea, Fishers Daily, Coral cup.
75% or less - Dusks Light, Wide Ocean, Undertow, Churning tide.
100% or less - Midnight, Deep Dark Sea (contains the poison from the Deep Skitter, must be carefully mixed, often a drink for a dare), a Drowner (always served in an extra large glass), Commodores Best.


Fun and games; (For the sports it's easiest to compare the tournaments to the Olympics.)

Despite what the other species may think of us, which if you come into contact with them they will look down on you for this stereotype, we are not all about stabbing each other in the back over a few gold. That is unless the bastard deserved it...ANYWAY.

* Music, which I would be surprised if you don't know this already but you may be all fluff and no brains, is a big part of our culture. As we have a great hearing sense we tend to be very particular about our music. I am partial to Woodwind instruments myself but you will all likely develop your own preference. While there is nothing innately wrong with liking loud music you may not make many friends if you try to blast that around the Clan grounds. Our love of music comes from when we still sailed the seas, to ease the monotony of travel in between fights. As such our instruments and music tends to be more old fashioned, but also instruments that can be easily carried. So no big hulking things that stay rooted to the ground. Unless it's a clan artifact that we stole earlier but those aren't for playing but for admiring.

Singing is also generally accompanied with the music, and like many birds of the galaxy many of us have proper voices for singing. But if you don't don't let me hear you warbling across the grounds at night or you are going in the pot.

Dancing could accompany it as well, and most of the style of dance we have involve a lot of side to side moment to imitate the ships decks where thy would have been preformed. In fact most of the Commodore parties that are occasionally thrown will happen on a ship; with small instruments being played, singing on the side, and swaying dance in the middle...Good times.

The Jiralhanae drum music has no place here, and I doubt any of you can even hear the Yanme'e clicking and buzzing, we will not discuss the Unggoy wailing, but we won't get too mad if you happen to find Sangheili music for listening. That is GENERALLY melodic enough to be pleasing. But you walk a tight rope with that if the song has singing in it - no-one wants to hear their damned voices in the middle of a pleasing instrument track. But more recently I have heard some of you listening to that loud Human music about rocks. Best keep that uncouth music to yourself if you don't want to be smacked across the backside.

* Games, these are for the times when you have no job to do - and if I catch you slacking on a job you will get several smacks across the beak. But when there is no current job that needs doing, and things are quiet, you may be allowed to break out a deck of cards for Ships Sail or Hull-to-Hull. While cards are the most common, as they are easily portable, some ships may have deck games set up as well but, again, those are for when there are no jobs to be had. There's also board games but crews on ships will often just make one up to relieve the boredom. More recently however there has been electronic games being made either for use on PPs or their own system - just a fad I say.

* Sports, these are where you should spend your energy rather than on games if you must do something besides training your combat skills. Even as young as you are now there are physical activities you can engage in and prepare for the ones that will open up to you later in life.

Fishing, is one of the most common pass times, though I would call it a game and not a sport there are some types that certainly are sporting events. But at it's most basic level you can go out by yourself, after getting permission from your Clan, and try to catch a fish either in the ocean or in an inland lake. Be warned however that we have to keep the balance in the Oceans or we run the risk of destroying our main food supply. So you may not be able to fish all the time. But the lowest level of fishing is just for small fish maybe for a meal. But as you get older more vigorous types of fishing will open up to you. While Sha are the current masters of the art most Clans will allow you to attempt spear fishing. But be warned. Some of the creatures of the Sea will fight back and attempt to make you the meal if you spear them and are not prepared for the battle. Above spear fishing is the rarely practiced Deep Sea fishing. Where, often in teams, Kig-Yar in diving gear will attempt to bring down the creatures of the Deep in their own world. In fact if you go to the Clans main compound you will see the hooked teeth and drained venom glad of the Deep Skitter that was brought down years ago. But no fishing with explosives; that's both cheating and damages a large part of the water. If you get caught doing it you may be seeing the bottom of the sea with no suit on. There are often competitions held between the Clans for fishing, with prizes for the victors - but Sha has held the title for years upon years in all categories

Unpowered boating, one of our most treasured pastimes that is still widely participated in today. Especially our clan as it is a coastal one you will often seen smaller boats being carried through the compound to be launched. While most of them will be sold to wealthy merchants or the higher ups of other clans some will be used by youngin's to train their strength. While single sea row boats are used as exercise and sailboats are still common means of relaxation remember that it is an ancient tradition of our species to sail. Just ask any member of Clan Hul and they would be happy to tell you about the history, and the history of their victories. Every few years Hul will hold a grand tournament for sailing, open to all of Eyan and the asteroid clans too as long as they put aside fighting for a few weeks to compete. The teams and boats vary by day sometimes a solo sailor and sometimes teams of ten or more. But it's a sight to behold them all docked around the continent preparing for the competition. (Think Olympic sailing). Hul has been the winner of their own event since it's creation - having only ever lost one time to a freak storm, so to the other clans second place is the gold for them.

Powered boating, while not as old as sailboats the powerboats of Hul are just as majestic as their sail boats and I would say more impressive as they blast across the sea. Although their speed boats are only practical in a competition powered water craft are now the norm for defending the coast lines of lands against enemy Clans and the Sisterhood. Armored and armed gunboats ready to sink the enemy, similarly to our past but with more explosions. But the speed boats come out at Hul's tournament on the final day, for the last race. I've only been able to view it once...but it was spectacular. Of course Hul won, but we snagged third from Eox. There was a large party that day for everyone here. Perhaps some of you were even conceived then - you should all go view the ships in the harbor one day. One of them may be responsible for you being here today.

Shooting, while it's perhaps not as much a spectator sport as the boat racing I would have to wager that more clans take part in the tri-yearly shooting tournaments. I would assume because it's easier to get a good gun or cannon together than a racing ship. Eox often hosts this event, and win it too, but there's a little for everyone there. From handgun speed runs, rifle target tracking, shotgun arial targeting, long distance sniping, to ship cannon accuracy and loading challenges. While Eox is generally the winner in each category this has more winners than the boating, and the only one Eox consistently wins is the cannon challenge while the other weapons are up in the air for winners. My sister actually used to be on our Clans pistol team...before she was drafted. Sinking Covenant.

Fighting, or the place where most Clans honestly stay out honestly. Stay out of the tournaments I mean, not of practicing within their own Clans. You'll learn to fight no matter what Clan you are in. Gel and Pek are often the hosts, with the location swapping each time the tournament comes around. If you haven't met any individuals from the Clans of Gel and Pek I'll just let you know that winners for the big meets up are always one of them. Other Clans show up for sure, but often just forfeit the match against Pek and nearly always forfeit against a Gel. While Gel won't kill you, unless it's the final match, they will often make it so you can't compete for a long time. But just so you are aware there are often a few sections of the meets; hand to hand, one handed, two one handed, two handed weapon, and freestyle - where you enter the ring with any melee weapon you desire and so does the opponent. Hand to hand and freestyle are the ones Gel and Pek fight over the most, and nearly every year the final fight ends with a death because neither clan is going to give up the championship without pouring everything into it. Best to just steer clear of a Gel on days like that. While they are normally at least amiable if you catch them on a bad day they will happily transfer that bad day to you. Go with Pek if you need a teacher, they are much more forgiving.

There are other sports for sure; such as rock climbing and foot races - but those I mentioned are the big ones that there are often tournaments for.

Verbal Tics;

Education, like you are getting right now, isn't at the forefront of many of the clans agendas. So know that several of the individuals that you may meet won't speak in full sentences. Be prepared for a lot of; 'ta for the and s'all for you all, dropping the first letter off words to be replaced by a guttural sound, and things like that - and if I hear any of you sinking into that kind of slang I will feed you to the crew! But unlike the Sangheili we do have a few accepted slang words. For example you may call your friends Mate, as in ship-mate. But you'll develop more as you grow older. Though I better not be hearing you lot swearing and if you have to you better use Sink (Sink it!(instead of damn it)). The dinner date with the crew still stands if I hear you lot making use of Human curses...

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Any questions, young fluff? Impressive you sat through all that, hopefully you'll be able to keep that patience through your life and not become just a common thug.