> An ousted chieftan usually has to leave rather quickly to avoid linching.
> Retired chieftans are not common, most chieftans serve until they die.
In Jeff Richard's game, we had several ousted chiefs. In general, they did not have to leave. It basically boils down to politics. If the new chief doesn't have significantly stronger political backing than the old one, or doesn't want to seriously annoy the old chief's faction, then the old chief may well stay.
I think a chief who becomes so infirm that he (or she) can't run the clan any more would retire, but otherwise most chiefs won't.
As to female chiefs, I don't think they have to be warriors. I do think they have ride with the fyrd to battle, and exhort their troops. Luckily, Ernaldans can do this very effectively. The biggest reason there aren't more women chiefs is probably the fact that most Sartarite marriages are patrilocal: the bride joins her husband's clan. She is thus starts out as something of a stranger without friends, and unlikely to be able to gather a strong faction. Women who divorce or are widowed and return to their clan face a similar problem: they have been away from the clan for years, and are out of touch with the politicial situation.
David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein
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