> it seems like a trickster has the same relationship to a clan chief that a champion has to a tribal king. That is, no bloodline will claim the trickster as kin. He stands alone, with only the chief's protection. The Humakti has severed himself from from his kin and clan, so none will claim him either. He stands alone, with only the king to protect him.
> I suspect that, in practice, the tribal king's Humakti fall within the protection of the king's clan. But the Humakti would never concur that they are a member of the king's clan. And if you asked the clan members, they would also say that the Humakti are not part of hte clan. They belong to the king. (Who just happens to be the chief, and who will expect his clansmen to stick up for his Huamkti at the moot.)
> If a clan wants to sue the king, do they sue the king's clan? Or can kings not be sued? If not, then presumably the king's sword can;t be sued either.
You cannot sue your own clan chief for something the trickster did, but you can move to remove the trickster (in case of doubt by deposing the clan chief) if the clan resources aren't redistributed fairly to make up for the damage. The same goes for the clan's humakti warriors - you can appeal to your chief to make the Humakti pay recompensation or redistribute clan resources. A chief who constantly decides against his clan folk won't remain chief for long.
Likewise, you ought to be able to sue even your own tribal king for anything his death-wielders, Eurmali or Humakti, have done against you. (Or his Uroxi...) The king has access to material resources that are not of your clan which can be tapped for compensation. You ought to have either a really good cause or powerful backing to do this, though - a tribal king has some more discretion to ignore your claims if he doesn't take the role of a paragon of justice. On the other hand, your clan can cut the tribute to the king if you are unhappy with his decisions, or at worst switch tribes. In the grey area between these outcomes is where Orlanthi politics happen.
On the subject of tattoos - I don't think that powerful leaders make their followers adopt a personal tattoo. However, if the powerful leader is the head of a hero band, he and the followers may share that hero band's tattoo. Even Humakti and Eurmali.
Not sure a clan warband qualifies (unless perhaps for a minuscule variation of the clan tattoo).
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