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Laws, Slavery, and Taboos
SARR LAW, THE COUNCIL, AND BLOOD FEUD
Sarr law is intricate, governing disputes between individual Sarr, families and clans. The Council generally encourages the Sarr to settle their own disagreements in a peaceable manner, but for those unable to find a compromise, the council offers arbitration. A normal council consists of 12 members, each member being the oldest and most capable female Sarr of a clan, though in time of emergency as few as nine may constitute a legal body. Members of different regional councils are chosen by the Grand Matriarch and are expected to represent a balance of the Sarr found within the territory where the dispute occurred.
The Grand Council is a group of thirteen headed by the Grand Matriarch, the oldest female Sarr in the land, and the Grand Council members consist of 12 Sarr, each one being the oldest, most capable female member of each clan. The Grand Council meets once a year in Jadugar Senf to hear general cases, the smaller cases being handled every six months within the clan by councils chosen by the Matriarch. Grand Councils are also called together when disputes requiring prompt attention occur or in times of emergency. The Matriarch does not vote, except to break ties. The Sarr are strictly forbidden to wage war on each other and those that do are swiftly brought before the council and are required to pay whatever punishment is given. This can sometimes be death but in most cases is serving the clan wronged. There are few exceptions to this ruling on war.
One exception, the Honor duel, is a rite which is held between two Sarr, and cannot be refused. There are two forms of an honor duel. The first is the Naked Fight, in which combatants use only teeth and claw. It ends when one combatant bares his throat to another.
The second form of an honor duel can be to first blood or to the death. The challenger usually chooses the weapon of choice. In this there is no retribution by either family as honor duels are usually considered trial by combat and the loser is usually helped up by the other Sarr and the incident forgotten.
Blood feuds are slightly different. A blood feud can only be brought about by a family that has been wronged in such a way that the only retribution is through the death of the accused. A family that has lost a member to an unjust death can bring their complaint before the Council which will decide if blood feud is called for. If the council votes yes, the family may wage war on the accused and only the accused. To go about this the family then kills the named individual in a ritualistic manner and presents the body to the deceased family uneaten. Very few blood feuds have ever been called.
Another custom among the tribes is the salt bond. The salt bond is a formal bond of hospitality between host and guest, which lasts for three days. During that time the host takes responsibility for the guests well being, and the guest agrees no harm shall come to the host-not by the guests own hand nor by that of his or her family.