Tribal Union

About
The phrase 'Tribal Union' can refer to two things: the existing bond and alliance between the People's tribes, or the event in the People's history when the separate tribes united under Chief Morendir, also called the tribal merging.

History
The history of the tribal union, or merging, is the most important event in the People's recent history and the basis of their calendar system. As such, it has been well documented and analysed by many scholars over the years.

Dragon Attacks
It began when the Farm Valley came under attack from dragons, and Chief Morendir sent his army to drive them away. The battle was long and hard won, but eventually the attackers were forced from the Valley. The inhabitants began to rebuild, but no sooner had they laid fresh foundations than the creatures returned in force, attacking once more. The vastly depleted army could not drive them away again without help, but the tribe found themselves without allies to call upon. The former accord with the Akram had faltered after the Manak bought land from the Entamar, and their other neighbours, the Tewen, had never been counted as friends. The three tribes had been fighting sporadically with each other for decades, and there was little hope of things changing. With the Valley under siege, however, and the Manak lands in peril, Morendir had little time to choose between saving face or saving his tribe.

Morendir's Peace Offer
Chief Morendir swallowed his pride for the sake of his people, and sent swift messengers to the Chiefs of the Akram and Tewen tribes, asking them to meet with him on neutral ground to discuss a treaty. By this point, the Valley had been completely destroyed and the dragons were heading southwards. Chief Karrelei of the Tewen and Chief Tonren of the Akram reluctantly consented to the meeting, and the three congregated at the point where their lands met. Though wary at first, they were quickly convinced of the danger facing the tribes thanks to a display of memories Morendir's mages had prepared. With little time to prepare, the three agreed they would need to set aside their issues with one another, but trust was in short supply between them.

Chief Morendir swallowed his pride for the sake of his people, and sent swift messengers to the Chiefs of the Akram and Tewen tribes, asking them to meet with him on neutral ground to discuss a treaty. By this point, the Valley had been completely destroyed and the dragons were heading southwards. Chief Karrelei of the Tewen and Chief Tonren of the Akram reluctantly consented to the meeting, and the three congregated at the point where their lands met. Though wary at first, they were quickly convinced of the danger facing the tribes thanks to a display of memories Morendir's mages had prepared. With little time to prepare, the three agreed they would need to set aside their issues with one another, but trust was in short supply between them. Morendir provided the solution; his scribe had drafted an accord stating that all tribes whose Chief had agreed to sign would be considered kin, and refrain from attacking each other. He signed first, proof of his noble intentions in front of the others, and Karrelei and Tonren followed suit.

Rescuing the South
In the time it had taken for the three Chiefs to meet and reach their new accord, the enraged dragons had already laid waste to much of Manak. Morendir's scouts reported that the main force had split into smaller bands, with several groups flying towards the east and others heading south. With Manak already lost, Karrelei and Tonren demanded that Morendir honour their agreement and help them to protect Akram and Tewen before dealing with the eastbound dragons. Morendir insisted on sending at least a protected messenger to warn the eastern tribes, and after some argument a young runner was sent with a single guard to carry word to Astator. Scholars believe this may have been the origin of the now antiquated phrase "Children with scrolls do not go to battle dragons".

With Morendir's army committed to protecting the Akram lands, Karrelei set the mages of Tewen to work on a vast shield over her town. According to contemporary accounts, she felt that Tewen's greatest strength lay in her people's magical skills, rather than its soldiers.

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