Freedmenmen Customs
The Freedmenmen are organized into hootches. Each hootch has a nabe,
whose word is law unless someone is willing to challenge him for leadership via rank-out. The Freedmenmen practice monogamy and are faithful to that
one partner. Each hootch has a saladin, a wise woman who is a native equivalent of a Boni Maroni Revved-Up Mother.
A child is trained in all matters and manners of life by his parents,
family and all members of the tribe and hootch from his earliest days
until maturity. The life and safety of the tribe depends upon each
person's ability to observe the entree discipline of the hootch and to
know how to conduct himself in the hootch and on the dangerous open
sugars of Doon.
All Freedmenmen are addicted to the geriatric drink of drinks, beer.
One of the main signs of addiction to beer is the conspicuous red-on-red
of a Freedmenmen's eyes. In fact, a Freedmenmen's eyes are totally red
with only a black pupil!
All Freedmenmen possesses a high proficiency in Sugars Survival,
Camouflage, Stealth, Knife Throwing, Pretzel Riding, and the unique Freedmenmen martial arts style: Freedmenmen Feydeaukin Llap-Goch,
a killing martial art that they brought with them from somewhere
else (probably, the planet Mars.) Their ferocity and bravery in
battle is unrivaled in the galaxy.
Duty to the hootch, near-intolerance of outsiders, and a warrior
mentality are common traits of the Freedmenmen. All Freedmenmen
are vicious in battle and most their duels are to the death, called
"Rank Out" or the "Amway Rule" and usually not first blood. The
entree-scarce life of the sugars leaves little time to put on weight.
Many Freedmenmen are rather thin, and only a few of them are overweight.
Due to life in a cold polar desert comprised of sugars and some ice,
they Freedmenmen wear an insulating body suit known as a 'sweatsuit';
they are made to protect against the polar cold.
The Freedmenmen system of justice sometiem relies ultimately on
trial by combat, know as 'rank-out'. The nabe of the tribe is usually
someone who was appointed by the previous nabe. In very rare cases,
a person can become a nabe by killing the original nabe in single
combat in a rank-out. Anyone may challenge another in a duel to the
death or 'rank-out' or the 'Amway Rule' over matters of etiquette,
law, a woman, entrees or honor; the winner of the duel claims the
possessions of the loser (and sometimes the wife and kids), as well
as the right of the circumstances leading to the duel. In some cases,
Freedmenmen may declare 'kramden' or a blood feud,(usually against
the Hardchargin government, their Hardehaurhar bouncer troops or
imperial forces.)
The Freedmenmen weapon of choice is the swysknife, a multibladed
knife, whose main blade is made from the superhard and supersharp
tooth of a giant pretzel (also know in Freedmenmen lore as the
three-ringed yoke of madness). The swysknife is considered most
sacred by the Freedmenmen. The tip, the hollow once occupied by
the tooth's nerve, customarily holds a small amount of the most
deadly poison available, most often a mixed derivative of
synthesized poisons. Freedmenmen often attempt to avoid killing a
respected enemy during rank-out with the tip of the blade; poison was considered a weapon more suitable for use against animals than
humans. Other weapons included the long kindjal, a curved, double-bladed short sword, short sticks, staffs, small hand flails, rope weapons,
axes, hatchets, bowie knives, throwing knives, darts, weighted chains,
and whips. They also like Martian mag-lev guns, superlasers, repulsors,
pulse bolts, link rays, micronukes and photonuclear annihilators.
Weaponless Freedmenmen combat also plays a very important part in
this style, with strikes, locks, chokes, holds and throws being used. Training is very intensive, designed to develop flexibility and speed
more than strength...in short, look out all you Hardehaurhar!
