A whooping run is a practice observed by Riders wherein the warriors of one clan ride past the boundaries of another's land on their horses, shouting and hollering in a display of intimidation. The display is meant to showcase the martial might of the whooping clan, and threaten the other clan into fearing and respecting them, else they become the target of said might.
The clan being whooped may be suitably cowed, or they may send out their people to pointedly ignore the whoopers, which may have the opposite effect than the one desired by the whooping clan. Alternatively, the whooped may counter-whoop, pitting the two whooping groups in a display of intimidation, or the whooped may outright attack the whoopers, leading to a violent clash. Finally, the clan being whooped may invite the whoopers to a feast, deescalating the situation to one that may improve relations instead.
Supposedly, the practice dates back to the War of Many Suns, where Elmal the sun god whooped the Golden Men, who paid him back the gold they owed him. Later, his son, Verlaro, whooped at Vingkot—son of Orlanth and the ancestral demigod of the Rams—which ended violently. After the first great split following the exodus from Nivorah, Hyalor introduced the practice of whooping as a way to avoid war between Riders, though at least Stelfor—chief of the Westclan—used it as a prelude to war, instead.
The Wheels have a similar practice, though they ride on their chariots and call it a ride-by. The Rams have no equivalent custom and whooping a Ram clan risks merely confusing them.
Ride Like the Wind[]
Whooping runs first appear in Ride Like the Wind.
Events[]
Whooping runs factor into the following events:
- Abandoned Village
- Antislavery Pushback
- Doctrinal Whooping
- Rams Hate Us
- Riders Hate Us
- Slaver Pushback
- Slighted Riders
- Striking Fear Into Rams
- Striking Fear Into Wheels
- Too Many Allies (mention)
- Wheels Hate Us
- Whooping Run Display
Lore[]
You clan circle may say the following about whooping runs:
- "A whooping run shows strength without spilling blood. Think of it not as a sword blow, but a warning of a future sword blow."
- "Elmal made the first whooping run, and the Golden Princes quaked, and gave his clan the gold they owed him."
- "Everyone else assumes Rams will react to a whooping run the same way we do."
- "Hyalor introduced whooping as a means to avoid war. Stelfor made it a prelude to war."
- "In a whooping run, our warriors ride past their village, showing them they should fear us."
- "Verlaro, son of Elmal, went whooping at Vingkot and his retinue of Rams. Soon severed limbs lay upon the ice."
- "Zenangar Eastclan finally got tired of Stelfor Westclan's frequent whooping runs and ambushed him."
Images[]
