Ebomvu

Warriors from southern Taggarus who perform ritual forms of combat in order to tap into every kind of shebvic energy. They practice an ancient art of blood sacrifice that empowers them and stains their chests red. These started in the Umbuso Empire during their wars with enemy empires. It was specifically the isikumun nation of black harrier avians who developed the practice, but they taught it to other nations allied with them against invaders. They were aided in expanding it to deeper shebvic arts by the isibanfana rock monitor and isipikili ground agama lizard folk.

Ritual Combat

Much like weaponmasters, warriors seeking to become an ebomvu practice ritual combat to invoke d'qiarsea. Unlike weaponmasters, however, they combine it with a series of tasks (to invoke shebv heya]]), difficult obstacles (to invoke feats of oalkhaylaoataa and the power of gebvel), ritual hunts (to invoke b'qar - though their culture is not usually a hunting one, the rituals are required by the spirits), works of construction (to invoke cu'ucuch'ik), rituals of collection (to invokve menab'e and mashoaab), a vow of obedience (to invokve shavev mashkalran), and to practice the disciplines of the dragon.

Blood of Blood

Those who wish to become ebomvu must spill blood for the 12 spirits of the shebvic Divines. The blood must be spilled from themself, their opponent, and their prey (in a ritual hunt), each spilling dedicated to the spirits. This initiation allows them to begin accumulating power via conflicts that are shaped by certain tasks.

Circles

The warrior must complete a task before being allowed into the next circle, at which time they face a new opponent in ritual combat. Each fight goes until someone has been hit seven times. Within the circles, no esoterica beyond the power of the circle is allowed to be used.

• Insangu, the Circle of the Dagger, is only accessible to those who steal something from the elder's home without being caught.
• Intambo, the Circle of the Rope, is only acessible to those who spend a season with the gatherers (or cultural equivalent).
• Bamba, the Circle of the Grapnel, is only accessible to those who stand in one place, unmoving, for seven days and seven nights.
• Assegai, the Circle of the Spear, is accessible to those who master seven major skills (varies by culture) or to those who walk the night covered in bells, with nothing ringing.
• Isibhamu, the Circle of the Gun, or Inhlansi, the Circle of the Spark, is only accessible to those who buy, sell, or trade a good deal to the benefit of the community.
• Isando, the Circle of the Hammer, is only accessible to those who make a vow to uphold the codes, laws, or rules of the community, and then prove themselves by doing so for a year.
• Isihlangu, the Circle of the Shield, is only accessible to those who face the trial of the wall, wherein they face extreme impact assaults for a day and a night.
• Umcibisholo, the Circle of the Arrow, is only accessible to those who take down a cheetah (or cultural equivalent apex predator) in a hunt.
• Itshe, the Circle of the Boulder, is only accessible to those who build something deemed worthy by the elders - usually their own home.
• Isibakhela, the Circle of the Fist, is only accessible to those who master the five qualities of the dragon (or cultural variant) - the discipline to train and focus (a test of will), the strength to lift a great weight (varies by culture), dedication to one's community (defending the territory), responsibility in property (accumulating neither too much nor too little), and the respect of the community (varies by culture).
• Imbazo, the Circle of the Axe, is only accessible to those who can lift the axe (a very heavy, usually graviluceat, axe - may vary by culture).
• Inkemba, the Circle of the Sword, is only accessible to those who have faced the warriors in every other circle.

Upon achieving the right to fight in a circle, they are given a week to prepare (if they are healthy, more if need be), then they face an opponent who has passed that circle. If they win, they gain skill with the weapon within the circle and the right to go on to the next. If they lose, they lose the skill from the previous circle and must go back and complete it before trying the circle they failed again. If they do not achieve the next circle within seven years, whether they won or lost, they lose all of their powers and must start over.

Marking

After each circle is completed, the warrior will gain a red marking upon their chest (or physical equivalent in species without chests). At the end of the circles, the twelve markings will form a unique pattern to the warrior.

Opponents

Each opponent will be someone who has won their fight in the respective circle, i.e. one who has won the dagger will fight someone seeking to beat the circle. If no one qualifies for an opponent, someone of a higher circle may be an opponent for a prospective ebomvu, but they will handicap themselves to make it fair. And they will always fight with the relevant weapon. If someone is, by some unlikely circumstance, not as skilled a warrior as the challenger, the circle will magically improve the opponent to be an adequate foe.

The gap between the ebomvu and their opponent's skill and power will escalate as they continue:

• Dagger: +1 in STH and +1 ATH
• Rope: +2 ATH and +1 PRO
• Grapnel: +2 STR and +2 PRO
• Spear: +3 PRO, +2 ATH or STH
• Gun/Spark: +3 PRO, +3 Firearms or Throwing Weapons, +2 ATH
• Hammer: +4 PRO, +3 STR, +3 WIL
• Shield: +4 PRO, +4 Shield/Parry, +3 WIL
• Arrow: +4 Dodge, +4 Archery, +4 STH, +3 Perception
• Boulder: +5 STR, +4 PRO, +4 Throwing Weapons, +4 WIL
• Fist: +5 PRO, +5 STR, +4 Intimidation, +4 ATH, +4 Parry
• Axe: +6 STR, +5 PRO, +5 Intimidation, +5 WIL, +5 ATH, +4 Throwing Weapons
• Sword: +7 PRO, +6 STR, +6 ATH, +6 Perception, +6 Intimidation, +6 Parry, +6 STH

Maiming, Incapacitation, or Death

Injuries inflicted in the Circles can be healed magically as they would be in normal ritual combat, but to become a true ebomvu, one must take on the injuries and recover with minimal magical assistance (no more than anyone else might get). All fights within the Circles are to seven hits, so if someone is knocked out or stunned, their opponent is expected to simply tap them the requisite number of times to win. But in the course of actual combat, they may hit hard enough to main, incapacitate, or kill.

Incapacitation means either knocking the target into a permanent coma or paralyzing them. If this happens, with no chance of recovery, and there was no action on the part of the challenger to mitigate the circumstance, the opponent will be required to support the challenger's family thereafter or pay a certain amount to apologize. If there were mitigating circumstances, such as the challenger was too reckless, a smaller price will be asked for. If the challenger or their family opt to magically heal them, they will simply be unable to challenge again and thus will not become an ebomvu. If the challenger does not opt to be healed but somehow recovers, they will have extra time beyond the usual seven years to re-enter the circle (up to seven more years past the moment of recovery).

Maiming means the loss of a body part or serious damage to organs. This will also require the opponent to pay a price to the challenger or their family as recompense, saving for in mitigating circumstances, but the challenger will be allowed to waive this price and be allowed to magically heal themselves to get back into fighting shape. If they do not waive the price, they can re-enter the circles when and if they are ready, with the impairments that go with their new condition. Some opponents will respect this with further personal handicapping to match their opponent, but others will not.

Death, of course, is almost always irreversible. If one is somehow resurrected (by a wish or Phoenix, for instance), they will not be able to re-enter the circles. If a challenger dies, the opponent will pay tribute to their family by serving them personally for seven years, then paying to support them for the rest of their lives, assuming no mitigating circumstances were present.

Weaponry

A warrior may use any kind of weapon they wish, but after winning within a circle, they gain skill in the relevant weapon and a weapon of that circle to use. The weapon they get will have special powers:

• Insangu: a dagger with double-edged broad blade, a shank of reinforced iron between blade and handle, and a handle of wood or bone. Each dagger is personally designed to fit the hands of the specific warrior. The dagger will improve the stealth of the wielder, allowing them to be a better hunter and able to make surprise attacks. It will also reward the user if they fight "dirty", that is, if they target weak points without mercy.
• Intambo: a looped rope made of river reed. It is used to ensnare, trip, entangle, or lash an opponent. Each rope is colored to match the warrior's family or tribal colors. It will improve the speed and agility of the wielder, allowing them to move with the rope. It will also help them get up after a fall.
• Bamba: a hook attached to the end of the aforemention rope, made of bone. It is made from the bones of an animal killed by the warrior on a hunt. It wil improve the strength of a warrior, allowing them to pull down walls or lift up stones. It will also help them prevent projectile attacks if swung around the head.
• Assegai: a broad-bladed iron spear with a long wooden haft. It is painted with the warrior's own blood and has a bell on the end of the haft. It will improve the speed with which they learn the arts of war. Those who wield it gain significant dexterity as well.
• Isibhamu or Inhlansi: either a small rifle or some form of weaponized fire (if guns have not come to the culture in question). The gun will be made with the wielder's arms and shoulders in mind. The fire will burn different colors based on who wields it. The perception and marksmanship of the warrior will improve as they use it, and their ability to read the reactions of people will as well.
• Isando: a heavy warhammer (sometimes a mace) made of stone and wood. The will power of the wielder improves, and so long as they remain devoted to the laws of their people, the hammer will not break. If thrown, it will summon other warriors to help if the thrower is in distress.
• Isihlangu: a cow-hide shield decorated with symbols of the tribe. It will have the warrior's True Name somewhere in its markings. It increases the toughness and defense of the warrior, and if planted in the ground, it becomes unmovable.
• Umcibisholo: a bow made of buffalo bone and string from their guts, and arrows made of wood, tipped with iron. The bow will be carved with signs of the warrior's achievements. Use of the bow will hone the warrior's focus and determination. It will reward those who are skilled at hunting with patience, resistance to the weather, and sense of smell.
• Itshe: a boulder about three times the size of the head of the warrior. It will improve the strength of the wielder and return when called.
• Isibakhela: red markings on the dominant hand of the warrior, improving the strength of their punch. If used, it will improve their strength further each time it is used during a fight (and then returning to normal). If it is used five times in a fight, it will erupt into flames.
• Imbazo: a half-moon-shaped bladed axe made of an extremely heavy metal with a wooden haft. It is designed to get past or remove shields and hack off limbs. It provides significant improvement to the warrior's strength, if it can be lifted.
• Inkemba: a sword more or less like a short-hafted spear with a very long, broad blade. Those who achieve the use of the sword will improve in their overall combat skills. The sword will reflect who they are.

Once they finish the twelfth circle, they are allowed to wield the ilkwa, a shortened spear, which combines the power of all circles and weapons. At this time, they are an ebomvu. They still may gain more powers for themselves and their weaponry, however. The more they use their weapons in actual combat, the more power they gain, until a second power is unleashed.

Secondary Powers

• Insangu: the insangu will be able to open locks if used enough.
• Intambo: the intambo will be able to draw strength, speed, and energy from an ensnared target, organism or mineral.
• Bamba: the bamba will be able to return the warrior and their opponent to the the state they were in at the start of the battle.
• Assegai: the assegai will increase the rate at which the warrior learns any skill at all.
• Isibhamu or Inhlansi: the isibhamu or inhlansi will gain strength as the warrior gains treasures from battles.
• Isando: the isando will only harm those in violation of the warrior's peoples' laws.
• Isihlangu: the isihlangu will make the warrior impervious to piercing, slashing, or impact damage.
• Umcibisholo: the umcibisholo will allow the warrior to become the predator they first hunted to earn access to the circle.
• Itshe: the itshe will allow the warrior to raze buildings with its strength.
• Isibakhela: the isibakhela will give the warrior one of five powers: an aura of respect, the ability to sense intruders in their territory, more power to their punch, the ability to absorb new energies around them, or the iron will of a dragon.
• Imbazo: the imbazo will gain even more strength as the warrior achieves great feats.
• Inkemba: the inkemba will erupt into d'qiarsean lightning in battle.
• Iklwa: the iklwa will have all of the above powers, plus the power to multiply itself into seven spears at once.

Clothing

The traditional ebomvu dress as the warriors of their people: either a cowhide skirt called an isidwaba or a loin cloth/flap combination called umutsha and ibeshu, tied with a cowhide belt. Ebomvu of all genders wear the iphovela headdress of cow skin, and the ishoba, a tufted cowtail, around their arm or leg. Like with any warrior of their people, these are imbued with d'qiarsea to make them stronger, faster, and more resistant to injuries.

Variations

Variations by culture merely replace some of the weaponry or words used, but otherwise, they keep very close to this format. Names in other cultures are usually just translations of the word "red" or something akin to "bloodstained warrior".

Skills

Skills that ebomvu commonly have include

• Hunting
• Farming
• Cattle ranching
• Tactics/strategy
• Negotiation
• Trading
• Building/construction
• Carpentry
• Masonry
• Teaching
• Training
• Leadership
• Theft
• Lockpicking
• Robbery
• Law/legal knowledge
• Gathering

Stats

Modifiers from base of nation/species:

PRO +12
ATH +9
STR +12
AWA +4 Perception/Reaction +9
WIL +4
STH +5
PRS +3 Intimidation +6