Hierarchy

The Bloodmoon are led by a representative democracy consisting of an elected matriarch and her council, which consists of the priestess of Menphina, the huntmaster, the warmaster and the head of household of each respective family so that they may feel their interests are appropriately represented. It is by the deliberation of the matriarch and her council that clan kin are subsequently judged, rewarded or punished depending on the actions that took place, the quality of their character, their adherence to the strict moral code demanded of them (and the varying idiosyncrasies of how those tenets can be defined) and any other mitigating factors. As such, only blooded kin who have earned considerable prestige, undergone difficult rites of passage and are able to serve in such a capacity are chosen.

There are various official positions within the clan's council, but there are three roles in particular that a matriarch looks to fill as soon as she has settled into what is expected of her as a leader of her people. The women assigned to them are synonymous with the clan's interpretation of Menphina's legend in Bloodmoon religious texts, where she is represented in a three part saga in different parts of her life - the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone - in that there are specific and particular characteristics valued in each life's phase that they should all ready possess or come to embody. More realistically, the triad's members are more often than not practically chosen for their skills.

Special designation may also be given to individuals who have proven themselves worthy of occupying a unique position among their people. A new position was created upon the election of the council suited for a son of Oschon intent on keeping territory with the Bloodmoon.

Unique Roles
The Maiden ("the soul")

The Pale Maiden represents the trading and laboring caste in all affairs and is typically the clan's huntmaster or talesinger. Though this position was once relegated to a minor role within the clan, the Pale Maiden has risen to occupying great status and importance among their own kin, preserving the oral history of their combined bloodlines to relate the exploits and deeds of the ancient and contemporary heroes of their people. As the very voice of the Bloodmoon's spirit, they call their people to battle or settle them in peace, inspire them to greatness in life and in death and keep tradition, carrying the lore of their kin all the way back to the beginning. Beyond their marked skill as storytellers, they are depended upon to act as a source of inspiration in times of desperate need or for celebration of those rare and wonderful times of fortune, and their ability to stir emotion while providing a walking fount of knowledge is not to be underestimated.

The Mother ("the body")

The Ashen Mother represents the warrior's caste in all affairs and is typically the clan's huntmaster or champion. As renowned as they are for their sense of superstition and eldritch traditions, so too are the children of Dalamud known for their ferocious temperament and unbridled savagery, and their brightest champion rises above them to defend them as their Ashen Mother. Uniquely suited to a life of war, this denmother is the tactician to their people, taking to fighting well and planning effectively while walking the line between civilization and wilderness. Though it may seem that their nature is a simple one due to how narrowly and simply their task is defined, any kin assigned this position are wise enough to know when their claws must be soaked in blood or when the more prudent thing to do would be to broker peace. The elements of balance and duality that play into the unique path that they walk marks them as counselor, mediator and law-keeper alongside a master of war, if need be.

The Crone ("the mind")

The Sable Crone represents the religious caste in all affairs and is typically the clan's priestess. The Sable Crone keeps the responsibility of communing with the clan's totemic guardians, beseeching aid of the elements and acting as a conduit in all manners spiritual, illuminating the mysteries of navigating the world-beyond-worlds, the Lifestream to which all return when death comes to claim them before they find their way to the Goddess's Grand Hall. Often characterized as intuitive, mysterious and as seemingly illogical as the whimsical spirits with whom they speak, the innate connection to their practice paints them as something of a dreamer. Among their people, they are guides and sources of wisdom, the enactor of rites, healers and friends to the spirits that their own kin do not often understand. To their matriarch, they are both the mystic and the maverick, which proves equally insightful and vexing in uncertain times.

Woodward

The clan's Woodward is entitled to ensure the edicts of his matriarch are followed. In peacetime, the holder of the position must make certain that the static defenses stay in good shape and that regular patrols secure the integrity of territory borders (even if the Woodward themselves has to make these patrols). They decide who may enter their territory and who may have access to the clan's heart, and will speak for the interests and opinions of male members of the clan when their input is needed. The Woodward has commonly appointed blooded kin to assist them as the first line of active defense in the event of attacks against their territory, and many take this opportunity to learn as much as they can from the clan's champion. Though the position may appear to be overtly violent, it requires cunning and a great deal of political sensibility.

Leadership
Historically, the matriarch of the clan has been descended of the line of Garahl, but the more recent ruling of an Okohwe matriarch and her subsequent removal from the ruling seat has seen a long line of exclusivity changed. The election of a seasoned huntress initially regarded as a traitor for leading a coup upon her own people was an unprecedented but much needed revolution that has seen some sense of normalcy restored to a life once tormented by woodsin. The uncertainty of the times paints a broad and unspecific picture of the clan's future - with a matriarch of an entirely new bloodline, there is no predicting what bloodline will reign supreme once her time has come and gone.

The current matriarch is Yhivi Rihza. Her council consists of:


 * Xau'zi Rihza (Woodward)
 * Okhu Garahl (Garahl line head of household; Pale Maiden; huntmaster)
 * Wyrih Lbaaloh (Lbaaloh line head of household; Ashen Mother; warmaster)
 * Xeteh Okohwe (Okohwe line head of household; Sable Crone; priestess)
 * Myrae Ekhinu (Ekhinu line head of household)
 * Evha Shaali (Shaali line head of household)
 * Ijhi Nhwara (Nhwara line head of household)

Clan Status
Bloodmoon society is divided by a caste system of rigid hierarchical groups based on their role within the clan to maintain order and regularity, and is a result of natural development of a standing allegiance with the people of Gelmorra and the nation of Gridania. Rigid caste organization has become a central mechanism of administration to the Bloodmoon and divides the clan's active forces into four main categories, assuring that all kin are given a useful role in a society that demands absolute compliance and cooperation to survive. The clan council, the religious caste, the warrior's caste and the trader's caste divide the clan.

The clan council is the highest caste among common society in the clan and makes up a small part of the overall population, dominating key political, religious and military positions as champions of their people and leaders in time of unrest and war. The second highest, the religious caste, relegates power to and pays respect to the voices of the Divine Mother and her flock as teachers, priestesses, shrine maidens and caretakers. The warrior's caste are the protectors of their people and comprises the military class, though the common huntress and borderer are counted among their number for the contributions made towards the survival of their people. The last of the castes comprises artisans, merchants and laborers and are typically non-combatants, choosing to provide their domestic trades to their betters.

A fifth unspoken caste, the exile, is relegated to the same distinction as that of the clan's most mortal enemy, as one must commit atrocious crimes or willingly choose to betray their people for the illusion of freedom to be fully severed from their bloodline. The cheeks of an exile are cut to the temples, and if they have passed their trials, the Oath is carved from their flesh.

The hierarchy among the Bloodmoon is as follows:


 * Matriarch
 * Council
 * Blooded Clansister
 * Blooded Clansire
 * Untrialed Clansister
 * Untrialed Clansire
 * Outsider Keepers
 * Half-Breeds
 * Outsider Seekers
 * Outsiders of other races