Andrew Larsen
The rules of the Greeting Contest are fairly simple. The new arrival is considered the challenger, and initiates the challenge by driving a spear (or other weapon) into the ground or by spitting. The defender then announces the contest. The contest can be almost anything, but there is no reason why the challenge has to be fair (Bison Riders frequently challenge opponents to a head-butting contest with each other’s mounts). Men often have a simple test of physical prowess, such as a brief race, wrestling to the first throw, or a boasting contest where each tries to impress the other with his accomplishments. Women engage in dancing or singing contests, herd-calling contests (in which the winner is the one who gets a herd beast to move toward her first). Cross-gender challenges are very rare, but occasionally take the form of dancing, recitation of genealogy, and the like.
There is considerable nuance to challenges, which generally are used to indicate the defender’s attitude toward the challenger. Challenging someone to a contest they clearly cannot win (such as challenging an Impala Rider to a test of height or an Eiritha Woman to a Peaceful Cut test) is an insult, while challenging someone to something they will clearly win is a statement of welcome. If the recipient of the challenge is hostile to the challenger, the challenge will usually be a fight with weapons.
The challenge winner is usually obvious, but sometimes each side will appoint one judge, who is expected to be honest. Tradition requires that the loser give the winner something of value or use; it can be a place at the fire for the evening, a drink of water, or a tangible gift. The value of the gift is a measure of the loser’s respect for the winner. Refusal to give anything is an extreme insult, and will often provoke violence.
The Greeting Contest between Clans
When two clans meet, the Greeting Contest typically happens between the clans as a whole. Even if the clans are known to each other and friendly, the Contest occurs, but it takes on a more festival atmosphere. Once the Contest is decided, the members of the two clans are not obligated to conduct individual contests, but they often do.
In the case of new arrivals at an oasis, the rules are slightly different. The clan(s) occupying the oasis normally maintain patrols to look for danger and intercept new arrivals. If the new arrivals are a small group (such as a party of PCs or a trade caravan), they are permitted to travel to the oasis if they win the challenge. If the new arrivals are larger (such as a clan), a more formal challenge takes place. The Yassa, Waha’s law, forbids initiating violence with a hour’s ride of a permanent shrine to the Praxian gods, which means that inter-clan violence is functionally forbidden at oases such as the Paps, Horn Gate, Agape, and Day’s Rest. So instead of a battle for control of an oasis, the clans resort to a Greeting Contest. The patrol will summon the clan’s khans and clan champion, who will decide on the nature of the contest and who is best suited to represent the clan. The losing side must leave the Oasis within three sunsets. This system is one of the reasons that Praxian clans migrate so much; it is rare for one clan to manage to defend its position for too long before they lose the Greeting Challenge to another clan.
When the Greeting Contest occurs between two clans, tradition tends to encourage the use of one of several standard challenges, although nothing mandates the use of these.
The Test of Waha is essentially a test of Waha skills. Each clan selects a herd animal and a brave (sometimes more than one animal and more than one brave are selected). The animal is goaded into flight, and is chased down by the other clan’s brave, who must catch the animal, lead it back to the oasis, sacrifice it with the Peaceful Cut and butcher it completely. The winner is the one to finish first, although sometimes khans are appointed to evaluate the quality of the Peaceful Cut instead. In this test, the losing clan forfeits its animal to the winning clan, which feasts on it.
The Test of Eiritha requires each clan to select its three best bulls, cows, and calves. The Eiritha Woman of each clan are sworn to judge fairly, and together they evaluate the quality of all the beasts. The clan who is judged to have the best beasts wins. The best beast in each clan is sacrificed to Eiritha, and the loser forfeits four of its beasts to the winner, which typically results in a feast.
The Test of Foundchild is a hunting challenge. Each clan selects the same number of hunters, and they have from sunrise to sunset to hunt, bring back and butcher animals. The clan that gathers the most meat wins the challenge, while the losing clan forfeits its catch to the winners.
The Test of Storm Bull is normally resorted to only between clans with deep rivalry. Each clan offers a number of warriors, who fight to the death outside the precinct of the oasis. The winning warriors keeps the gear of the losers.
The Test of Daka Fal is rare. It is a test of magical power. Each clan appoints a shaman of Daka Fal, who competes to see which can recite his lineage further back. Each then seeks to summon the oldest ancestor he can name. If both succeed or both fail, the clan occupying the oasis is deemed to win. In this challenge, there is no forfeit.
When clans are friendly, the Contest is treated as a sporting competition, with wagers made on which side will win. When the clans are hostile, the atmosphere of the Contest is much more tense. Cheating and accusations of cheating are common, and violence has been known to happen, regardless of Waha’s ban on violence at shrines.