It is dirty raiding to slay prisoners or to injure an enemy holy man or medicine bundle. It is wrong for defenders to refuse to ransom captives, but fine for them to sell captives into slavery. Neither side should use elementals or deadly divine magic. The raiders must avoid any shaman or priest they meet, and the shaman or priest must leave them alone, too.
War
A war party is larger than a raiding party and usually has a shaman. The key difference, though, is that members of a war party wear war paint. These are distinctive slashes on the cheeks that show why the war is being made. Black streaks mean revenge for a religious insult. Red streaks mean avenging women's honor, which often means retrieving their herd animals. Blue streaks mean a personal vendetta. Green streaks mean fighting for prime grazing land, or access to salt licks. Yellow streaks mean fighting "outsiders," anyone not of the five major or ten independent nations. Yellow streaks are most commonly seen when a war party seeks broos.
There is an etiquette for declaring war, and only a chieftain may do so. It is common, though, for eager warriors to begin wearing war paint before their chieftain declares war. This pressures the chieftain into a declaration, and may also goad the other side into declaring war first.
All is fair in war, the Praxians say, and they mean it. The only taboo is violating the peace of the Sacred Ground. Storm Bull berserkers bear the brunt of wartime fighting. Many die. Those who live gain great prestige, and may gain wealth as well.
[end]
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