Charali Education

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Education akin to that of Lithmore's society is not stressed amongst the Charali peoples. A nomadic people, the Charali instead chose to educate their offspring in the means of survival on the oft-times brutal plains.

Standard education consists of skills used in day to day life and these life skills are often divided amongst the tribe depending upon ones social-standing. The lower members of the tribe are typically taught to be proficient in animal husbandry, horsemanship, and falconry. Middling ranks in the tribes assume the roles of the hunters and gatherers, learning how to hunt for food and how to work the hides of the animals that they have managed to kill. The upper echelon of each tribe typically becomes classed as the warriors, learning valuable skills in combat for the protection of the tribe. Families within each rank of the tribe are often acclaimed due to their great skill in one of these areas.

A highlight of this 'education' comes in the coming of age. In most tribes, the thirteen year old is cast out into the wilderness with a knife. For an entire cycle of Elliueh (approx. 31 days), the youth survives without the aid of their clan. On their own wits and knowledge they must not only survive, but find their totem or namesake. Before this point in their life they are simply 'boy' or 'girl'. This harsh coming of age kills many youth and is often viewed as savage by other cultures, but it is the only test they know for survival in their world.

Grudgingly, Lithmorran attitudes have managed to work their way into the Charali way of life through Davite missionaries from the Holy Order. These highly educated men and women, schooled predominantly in theology, have taken to teaching the willing Plainsmen some city-customs. Though not widely accepted or used, some Charali's have taken to learning to read and write because of the clergymen present within their tribal hierarchy. These traveling missionaries have also attempted to sway the Charali's in their religious beliefs, but their efforts have met with dissonance, as the Plains-people continue to cling to the ways of old.

The Charali written language, a relatively new development, uses the Lithmorran and Vavardi scripts to approximate the sounds of Charali words. Still, almost all knowledge in Charalin society is passed down from parent to child orally. In this regard, Charali are known for their lyrical speech and tremendous memory.