Rainbow Tribe

The Rainbow Tribe (aka Rain Tribe or Tribe of the Cloud Rain) is one of the original seven tribes of Cyclandia (the others include Phoenix Tribe, Castle Tribe, Dragon Tribe, Mountain Tribe, Shadow Tribe (a.k.a. Tribe of the Dark Elves, Dark Tribe), and Cloudrim Tribe (deceased) ). The main population of Rainbow Tribe members inhabit the two islands of Coralden in Cyclandia, and many others live in Rainbow-controlled colonies like Pikstorn and Skyloria. There are 19 such colonies, with many other Tribers inhabiting kingdoms governed by other Tribes. The element of water is sacred to the Rainbow Tribers, and their primary arcanum is that of the sky. They revere the rain, believing it to bring life, and their patron god is the God of Life, Witu. =Geography= The Rainbow Tribe has settlements in many places, and the colonies and kingdoms are very widespread with different climates and geography. Most Rainbow kingdoms are in the Elvish Lands and thus have an alpine climate. They value pine forests and mountains, and most settlements like to utilize the high ground in case of attack. Water is also a necessity for both cultural and survival reasons, so many settlements are based near rivers. =Culture=

Ages & Life
The culture of Rainbowic society is quite comparable to that of the Dragon Tribe, however, House Silveradis, the tribe's ruling clan, worked to distance their ways from that of the Dragonics when the Dragonrain Wars broke out in the 1300s.

Pre-Training
In Rainbow Tribic culture, Littles are held of the highest esteem, as they are considered to be the next generation and the future of the tribe itself. For three years Littles are free to do their wish under supervision from those considered Guardians. The Guardians are 100% responsible for their Little's actions and responsible for teaching them the ways of the world at a younger age to prepare them for their training stages.

Training
The Training stage typically lasts from ages 3-12 in Rainbowic society and many Mediums have yet to complete the stage. The Training stage is a longer stage where Littles are educated in everything known to Elfkind before they are headed off to the University stage. Knights begin their training during this stage and many sciences, maths, languages, and historical facts are taught.

University
The University stage marks the shipment of newly-trained Squires off into the battlefield in the Dragonrain Wars as was per usual for young Knights in the Rainbow Tribe. For academical & magical Elves, the University stage was the beginning of an ultra-intense insight into their learning and activity as an accomplished member of the Elf society. Many times, these Elves would help in the war effort on the "Homefront".

Big
The Big stage is a more flexible stage and is considered the final peak of material society. It is typically accomplished at a younger age such as 25-30, but often times, it can be accomplished nearer to the start of the University stage (13-25). The Bigs are the greatest Elves and perform a variety of tasks. This is when the Elf begins to execute their function in society.

Currency system
The Rainbow Tribe most often uses a highly capitalistic economy design, with the omission of the Phoenixian Companmark; companies are always owned completely by the leader of the company, who is usually called a Count or Countess, and sometimes a Lord. The Tribe does not have a set value and citizens adapt to the currency used in their kingdom of residence, however, the Regn Nolthi is used as a currency in most Rainbow kingdoms, and in Cyclandia.

Class system
Unlike most tribes the Rainbow Tribe's class system was opposed by most members of the Tribe and is considered illegal by the Tribe's leaders, although a natural divide has formed in between different occupations - however, the system is broken if an Elf changes occupation, which they often do due to the Tribe's infinite university policy.

Yara
Kings, lords, nobles, and counts are included within the top class, known as the Regn Yara.

Arikai
The class directly below the Yara are the Regn Arikai, which are composed of farmers, hunters, merchants, miners, and artisans - most of the Tribe's people.

Sarin
The Regn Sarin, the lowest class, are the criminals and like, who are very disrespected in Regn society.

War
War was considered a large part of society during and after the 17th century which saw the outbreak of the Dragonrain Wars. At first, the Dragon and Rainbow tribe were close allies, and shared the bustling and prosperous metropolis port of A'evatros. However, in 1600s, tensions escalated and snapped during an election for the new king of A'evatros which resulted in a 2-week-long intense battle. The Rainbow tribers escaped on ships to the western island of Coralden, S'arain. They built their capital city Letheria there. In Coralden, war was considered a HUGE part of society, but in other Rainbow-dominated kingdoms like Pikstorn and Skyloria, war was less emphasized.

Knights
Knights were the standard soldier in the Rainbow tribe military. They wielded iron swords and wore iron + crystal armor (in Cyclandia, these were enchanted in many cases).

Honor Code
Knights were bound by a strict honor code which prevented them from doing many things considered dishonorable in battle. If a Knight was caught violating the code, he may be expelled from the army or even executed depending on the severity.

One of the Code's most oldest and sacred rules is to NEVER harm a Little from any tribe. (Little is considered someone too young to fight). The penalty for such an offense is almost 100% of times death, unless the Little was harmed or killed by collateral actions instead of a direct death.

The Code also mentions a similar rule about innocents, those willing to submit to death and those who are unarmed should NOT be harmed or slain.

Another rule the code holds pridely is always honor your fellow Knights, and fight to protect your own.

At Sea
Many Knights were skilled in handling boats and naval equipments. These Knights often rode to battle on giant warships, and the large number of them helped the Rainbow Tribe to develop an impressive battle navy of almost 60 warships which were used at various points during the Dragonrain Wars - many Generals noted that the Rainbow Tribers had to devise a strategy the Dragon Tribers did not use, thus leading them to the option of seafaring, since the Dragon Tribe did not use ships as much as they did. These ships were almost always of British-Titan design, although a few Rainbowic colonies actually used Viking design.

In the Air
The sky was another place Knights often found themselves, on the backs of Dragons. Himmelseil, the Norweigian word for "Sky sailor", rode in a style known as Kryir (Norweigian for "Warrior"), which was actually an attempted copy of the Dragon Tribe style (although it wound up quite different). These Knights rode a variety of dragons to counter the dragon force of the enemy, which was generally much larger, but the dragon riders were used mostly as distractions to clear the sky for ground batallions.

Knight Organization
The Rainbow Tribe prioritized defeating their enemy after the war's outbreak, and almost every new capable Elf joined the army, male or female. (The Rainbow Tribers were always opposed to discrimination, so any group could perform almost every activity available). The Rainbow Tribe's army grew to a size which actually alarmed the Phoenixians, who were planning to step in and stop the war. The tribe's army grew to such a size that it was one of the largest in California. An army of this size definitely needed organization.

Squads

A squad was the basic unit led by a Sargeant. The squad was made of 4 Privates and a Sergeant.

Platoons

Platoons were the next unit led by a Lieutenant, who was assisted by the Squad Sergeants (Platoons were typically 5 Squads, and contained 25 Knights). The Platoons were used to capture most small outposts and towns.

Companies

Companies were composed of 5 platoons and led by a Captain. These contained 125 Knights and were useful in holding longer borders.

Batallions

Battalions (aka legions) were led by a Commander and contained 5 Companies, with a total of 625 Knights. These were used for storming larger cities and attacking fortresses.

Brigades

Brigades were not used much, but were composed of 5 battalions each, and led by a General. They contained 3,125 Knights and were used for coordinated strikes on larger cities.

Himmelseil
Himmelseil (meaning Sailor of the Sky in Norwegian), or Dragon Riders, were the typical air support regiments found in battles. Dragon Riders ran many raids using firebombing tactics and close up fighting techniques, and many different styles of riding were found in the Kryir Riding style.

Avstandia
Avstandia, or ranged fighters in Norweigian, were grouped under regiments in archery and cannon divisions which typically stayed behind the rest of the battalion during invasions and captures.

Vakt
Vakt are Guards who stood by villages and important areas in cities. Guards were typically knights and did serve in a battalion, but usually wielded Spears instead of Swords.

Weaponry
Weaponry was a large part of Knights' endeavors. Weapons varied among different Knights, and Avstandia used a different set of weapons too.

Swords
Skarptmetall, or sharp metals, were the basic default weapon for most knights and Littles were trained with it first. Many times, especially in Cyclandia, swords were enchanted with elemental effects such as fire, ice, and sometimes boosting effects such as power and durability. Usually, swords were made of iron or a similar metal, but they could also be made of crystal.

Spears
Spydi were used by the Vakt. They are long wooden sticks with a metal/crystal/stone head on the end which is used for poking enemies, and sometimes were sharp on the sides. Spears were enchanted less than swords, but they did have a variety of enchantments.

Smaller Blades
Liteblode, or "smaller blades", were katanas used primarily by dragon riders and often came in dual. These were lighter for use in one hand, and they also gave upper hand against people using one blade.

Stoneseil
Stoneseil were large catapults or trebuchets which were often mobilized and used in smaller attacks, but usually they were used in sieges. Battalions deployed around 4 knights to handle one stoneseil, which could launch one rock per two minutes.

Cannon
Kanons were used primarily in sieges too, although mobilized versions could be operated by a sqaud. They shot small stones at a quicker rate than Stoneseil did. Later, cannons evolved to shoot Proton Projectiles, which would explode on impact.

Dragons
Dragons were used in many ways. the culture of using dragons was called Drakoni. Drakoni included riding style such as Kryir and Hjalf (warrior and helpful), as well as non-riding such as Anleg. Dragons in war were used often in divebombing and distracting the Dragon tribe air force, they also provided air support for ground battalions.

Colonies
The Rainbow Tribe had many colonies, within kingdoms on other parts of the world. The Rainbow Tribers outside of Cyclandia primarily live in alpine areas like Pikstorn and Skyloria, the largest Rainbow Tribe-dominated kingdoms. Without the Dragonrain Wars, life in the Rainbow Tribe was different in colonies than they were in Coralden.

Life Without War
Rainbow Tribers outside of Coralden were surprisingly peaceful, and were known to even make pacts with Dwarves and Orcs. In Pikstorn, the Rainbow Tribers hold giant snow sport festivals with hundreds attending. Sailing and dragon riding are also common hobbies among Elves in Pikstorn. In Skyloria, there are many art activities, songs, magic, concerts, and plays.

Technology
In 1990s, the technology of Elvendom began to advance, and they learned to manipulate electricity to create new things such as telephones and engines. In 2005, airplanes were invented in Elverion and the Rainbow Tribers soon adopted it, they also integreated airplanes with their dragon riding beliefs.

Ceremonies
Ceremonies were often performed in Rainbow society to celebrate many occasions. Some of these ceremonies celebrated traditional Elvish holidays (such as Cirith regn'Kelethen) while others celebrated graduation or knighting.

Ava Lia Pelethen
A very common ceremony in larger cities, the graduation ceremony was a sacred coming-of-age ceremony which was performed by the leader of the Rainbow Tribers in the area (usually, this would be the Chief or Chieftess of the village, King or Queen if the kingdom was Rainbow, or the Governor of the district if the city is large). The graduation ceremony had 2 variants, the normal Graduation and the Knighting. The Graduation ceremony occured after one topic was finished in Regn University. The ceremony officialized the Little's mastery in the topic which they studied at the school. In the weeks before the ceremony, the Little's clan is to create a traditional Elvish crown with the unique symbol of their clan on it (either engraved or sculpted into the crown itself). This is incredibly sacred, the crown is usually enchanted to grow with the wearer. During the ceremony, the Rainbow leader will set the new crown upon the Little's head after removing the Little's old crown, which was a more traditional silver Elvish crown. This is also done independent of the other Littles graduating with them, so only one Little is crowned per ceremony, and the clan may pick venue and other details. If the Little's clan is unable to make the crown, any blacksmith will do it for free, because of the ceremony's sacredness.

Ava Kea Ilithen
The knighting ceremony was as sacred as the Graduation ceremony. This takes place outside and is very similar to the Graduation ceremony except that the leader's enchanted sword will cast a Regn Farewell Spell on the new Knight, the same spell given to every Little at birth. The knight is also given their clan crown and will officially join the Elven society as a Knight.

Cirith regn'Kelethen
Cirith regn'Kelethen is a larger ceremony celebrating the Rain, which is holy for the Rainbow Tribers (Regn as they call it). During this holiday, Littles often performed plays and concerts that had been practiced over several months, Bigs and Mediums played lots of music too, and magic was performed extensively, specifically water magic.

Magi regn'Laiathen
Magi regn'Laiathen is a ceremony celebrating the holiday of magic, lots of magic was performed. It is also a holiday to honor the only dead Elven tribe, the Cloudrim Tribe, which invented much of the magic used by Elves today.

Fel regn'Intoa
The Fel regn'Intoa, or Regn Birth Ceremony, was the single most sacred ceremony of all, which introduced a brand new member into the tribe. The Fel regn'Intoa wasn't performed until a few weeks or months after the baby's birth. It is brought to the center of the city and given its name, as well as its new Little's crown. To end the ceremony, it is given the Regn Farewell Spell, which bathes it in bluish light for a few hours.

=Leaders= Leaders were an important part in Rainbow society, because they led the Tribe and its subsidiaries.

Chiefs
Chiefs were people involved in leading standalone villages. They had sovereign power over the village, but the village's council had to advise.

Governors
In the Rainbow-Dragon city A'evatros, Governors were politically important in each of the 50 districts within the city. They had equal power to the Ildir, except right before the outbreak of the Dragonrain Wars.

Kings
The King was the leader of the entire tribe and resided in Letheria, the kings were primarily of the Trevor Dynasty. They had sovereign power but they had advised from the Senate. =Homes=

Alp
The Alp was a standard home in Rainbow societies based in alpine regions. The Alp was actually invented by the Mountain Tribe but the other tribes especially the Rainbow Tribe were quick to utilize it in their designs too. The Alp is a dome-shaped house (it can be differently shaped too) and half underground, typically tiled with stone bricks and wooden planks all around. The Alp is designed to be cozy and often contains multiple dome-shaped rooms. Alps are typically very carpeted too, with fur carpets.

House
Houses were very similar to Alps, but they didn't use the dome shape, and were usually entirely above ground.

Palace
Palaces are usually built by the wealthier people and the leaders. While not all wealthy people use Palaces, the Palace was a larger house usually made of wood or stone and intricately decorated. The Palaces were usually cordoned off from the other houses and organized into a smaller neighborhood.

Castle
Castles were similar to Palaces, but Castles often held hundreds of people and entire villages within. They were used primarily for defensive purposes and may have multiple Palaces within.