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The Warriors of Mameka An Overview
by James Chokey
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Introduction
The Warriors of Mameka are a fighting order sponsored by the clerical order of Mamaka, the Master of Steel. The order is theoretically open to members of both sexes, but in practice its membership is almost exclusively male.
The headquarters of the order are at Bedenes keep, in the far northwest of Rethem. Most members of the order are stationed in and around Bedenes but sizable chapterhouses are attached to the Golotha temple of Mamaka, the Master of Steel and to Hengel manor in Anerath hundred.
The order's Akarata is Horab of Gerund, “a sadistic and corpulent sensualist”. The order has no Tenekai.
History of the Warriors of Mameka
Note: The history provided below is a brief overview. To see an expanded history of the Order of the Warriors of Mameka and its clerical order, Mamaka, the Master of Steel, click here.
During the Theocracy of Tekhos, the clerical order of Mamaka, the Master of
Steel recruited a select group of lay 'agents' to serve as spies, assassins,
and messengers. These agents, who were generally used for missions deemed
too risky or too distant for priests themselves to perform, developed into
a skilled, loyal, and ruthless 'secret police' force for their clerical masters.
Over the course of time, these agents were given religious training and came
to be regarded by the priests as their Terahni. They thus came to be known
as the 'Warriors of Mameka'.
Little is known for sure of these early years of the Warriors. Orderial legends (most of which are secret and told only to members) celebrate the killing of numerous Morgathian theocrats— including the murder of Horanahm of Tekhos himself. There is no outside evidence to support the claim that Horahahm was assassinated by the Warriors, but such details are of little concern to the order. Regardless of the truth or falsehood of any specific legends, it is true that assassinations, sabotage, and other acts of subversion were frequent during both Theocracies— particularly in/around Golotha. It is certainly plausible that the founders of the Warriors of Mameka were responsible for some of them.
The decades following Arlun's conquest of Rethem witnessed a major organizational and functional transformation for the Warriors of Mameka. Now that they and their clerical sponsors were no longer seeking to overthrow a Morgathian theocracy, but to gain a foothold on power in a newly-established kingdom, the Warriors 'came out of the shadows' and pledged support to the new king. They began to act much more like a traditional Agrikan military warband (cf. the Copper Hook and the Roving Doom) than a 'secret police force'. A few even fought in his campaigns against Tharda and Kanday. There is some evidence, however, to suggest that a small, elite group of Warriors continued— and still continue— to operate as a 'covert assassination and sabotage squad' under the direct control of the clerical order's Senesharil.
After Arlun's death in 656, his army, unwilling to support his half-Kuboran son Obras, returned north to Peran. Revolts broke out across Rethem. The Warriors of Mameka, like many other Agrikan fighting orders, aided the king in crushing them. In exchange for their efforts, they were given possession of three manors in Anerath hundred, near Golotha.
The Warriors similarly aided Obras' successor Nemiran, who, they claim, gave them the area around Bedenes for their own. There is no feudal writ to indicate that Nemiran actually did so, and Nemiran's successor Puril refused to acknowledge the Warriors' claim to the land. This would prove to be a point of soreness between the crown and the order for several years. It is for this reason that, when Puril launched his country into Ezar's War in 682, the Warriors sent only the smallest token force to aid him.
Ezar's War embroiled the Crown and other Agrikan fighting orders for fifteen years, during which the Warriors of Mameka decided to take the issue of Bedenes into their own hands. Inspired by their clerical sponsors' seizure of the primacy in 689, the Warriors of Mameka sent a large force to Bedenes and seized it the following year. They also began construction of a keep at the site. Though the Warriors' claim to Bedenes and the right to build a keep was confirmed by King Chafin I in 698, the truth is that Chafin was just acknowledging a fait accompli.
Most of the Warriors' activities since the completion of Bedenes' fortifications, have been directed northwards, towards the Kubora against whom they have launched an unofficial 'crusade'. Their conflict with the tribesmen seems to stem from a number of sources, ranging from a deep-seated desire to reclaim Kustan (which they still regard as a sacred site) to the simple fact that the Kubora rather conveniently happen to be nearby. This 'crusade' however, has not generally gone well for the Warriors. In 718, a group of the order's Haragki made an ill-considered attempt to seize Kustan and were slaughtered to a man.
Rituals and Practices
The Warriors of Mamaka take most of their rituals and lore from their parent order, Mamaka, the Master of Steel. Indeed, their very name is meant to illustrate their reliance upon their clerical sponsors. Just as the warriors of Mamaka's tribe relied upon his metal weapons to triumph over their enemies, so too are the Warriors of Mameka expected to triumph by using the spiritual, political, and practical 'tools' given to them by the priests.
Each of the three 'pillars' of faith valued by Mamaka priests are practiced by the Warriors. In accordance with the pillar of Craft, each member of the order learns the art of weapon-making. As a general rule, each Warrior concentrates on learning to make the weapons he himself will use on the battlefield: Haragki make broadswords, maces, lances, and 'chivalric' weapons, while Laumaks make shortswords, bows, arrows, spears, and other 'commoner' weapons. Weapon-making is both a practical and a ritualized activity. It is typical, when making any kind of a weapon, for a warrior to mix several drops of his own blood into all liquids used for tempering its metal or treating its wood, so as to put part of 'his own fiery soul' into it. The Warriors, nonetheless, do not fetishize their weapons, revering them for their own sake, but remember that they are but tools whose sole purpose is to further the ends of Agrik and their order.
The Warriors observe the pillar of Secrecy in several ways. First, they are forbidden to communicate the tiniest scrap of information about the order's lore, rituals, plans, or possessions to outsiders. Even the least violation of this rule is punished by an agonizingly slow death. Those who have captured members of the order and sought to extract secrets through torture report being laughed at by their captives, who claim: "Nothing you can do to me is can possibly compare to what my brethren would do, should they learn I betrayed them." The Warriors, like their priestly masters, are also taught to avoid frivolous and unnecessary speech, even when alone or with other members of the order. Those who violate this rule are generally punished by whipping; repeat offenders may be punished (and 'cured') by having their tongues ripped out by red-hot pincers. Surprisingly, this emphasis on silence has created within the Warriors a hierarchy of skilled speakers, who always choose their words carefully and convey ideas clearly and succinctly. Finally, the Warriors of Mameka preserve their secrecy by being the only Agrikan fighting order in Hârn not to accept Anasi, that is to say, honory members. The risk that such half-outsiders would betray the order;s secrets is deemed too great.
Finally, the Warriors of Mameka observe the pillar of Trial. A Warrior, it is said, must constantly be tested, both on and off the battlefield. If one's martial skill is not tested, one cannot be sure one is a great warrior. For this reason, members of the order are encouraged to constantly be testing themselves (individually) against their brethren in 'mock' combat and against the order's enemies (collectively) in real combat. Also, each warrior, upon being initiated, is subjected to some kind of 'loyalty test' comparable to that which Agnichari of their sponsoring order have to endure (see above). Those who pass this test are accepted into the order as full members. Those who fail are never seen again.
Martial Practices
In battle, each Warrior typically uses a weapon he has made himself. As with most other orders, the mace is a prefered weapon for many Warriors, although the spear, the shortsword, and the bow are more typical for Laumaks.
Unlike other Agrikan orders, the Warriors of Mameka do not generally practice advanced unarmed combat techniques, such as Sashata. Instead, they are taught a rather curious 'style' of combat called 'The Empty Fist'. The Empty Fist is a system of fighting that teaches one how to use available, seemingly non-deadly objects as weapons. This might include anything from throwing dust in an opponents eyes to blind him, to slipping a spoon's dull edge between his ribs so as to puncture his lungs, or using a cloak to entangle or smother him. This practice, which requires extremely quick and creative thinking, probably originated back when the Warriors were more like a covert band of assassins rather than a military organization.
Politics
The politics of the Warriors of Mameka are generally less complicated than those of its sponsoring priestly order. Whereas the Order of Mamaka, the Master of Steel holds the office of Apalankh and must handle the intracies of interaction with all of the other orders, with the Hierarchy of Eternal Flame, and with the political states of Rethem and Tharda, the Warriors of Mameka generally only interact with its sponsoring order and with the Rethemi Crown. Other than the fighting order of the Red Shadows of Herpa, which loosely supports of the Warriors' continued crusading against the Kuboran tribesman, the order has no real allies or friends among other Agrikans.
The Rethemi crown generally regards the Warriors of Mameka as loyal vassals— and seems quite justified in doing so. The Earl of Tormau has sent a few envoys to the Warriors, hoping to convince them to maintain neutrality in his feud with Chafin III. The Order's leadership has received the Earl's envoys with politeness, but insists that it will take the field for Chafin III if/when his ongoing conflict with Earl of Tormau comes to blows. In truth, the current Akarata would prefer to avoid a civil war altogether and dreams of a united Rethem crusading northwards to reclaim Kustan and subjugate the Kubora— though he no ideas as to how this dream might be realized in the kingdom's current political climate.
The Warriors' only real enemy is the Kuboran tribes with whom its members are constantly skirmishing. Skirmishes are typically local, taking place near Bedenes, although in 718 a party of orderial knights made an ill-considered assault on Kustan and were slaughtered to a man. Far from discouraging the order's leadership, this disastrous defeat has only further convinced the Warriors of Mameka of the need to "use fire and mace to bring the savages to their knees". The priests of Mamaka, the Master of Steel seem neither to encourage nor discourage their Terahni's ventures against the Kubora but rather seem content to let them pursue their own course on this matter.
Land and Wealth
The Warriors of Mameka hold Bedenes keep in northwestern Rethem and the nine manors surrounding it, giving the order complete control of Emesa hundred. The keep itself was completed in 699, though the warriors seem to have seized the land from those who previously held it some 8-10 years earlier. The order's Akarata resides at Bedenes proper; the manors of Hask, Penor, and Torkat, are overseen by Meketai; and the remainder are overseen by Telmen. The Scarlet Ribbon runs near these lands and merchants travelling north to trade with the Kubora are often subject to harassment and extortion by members of the order.
The Order also holds three manors in Anerath hundred, along the south branch of the Thard River, a couple of leagues directly east of Golotha. A Meketa oversees Hengel, the largest of these manors, while the other two (Holaseth and Kibly) are overseen by Telmen.
This page is part of the Hârn
Religion Team
Page last updated on July 29, 2002 by Jim Chokey