Za: Blood for Blood

(excerpted in part from a rare unabridged copy of "The Chronicles of Talislanta", by the wizard Tamerlin.)

The Za are a grim and unforgiving folk who will never forget a wrong or turn their back on an insult. The offended party is expected to seek retribution, or suffer loss of face and esteem. To signify the intent to seek revenge a Za will say the words, "Blood for Blood". Among the Za this phrase is considered a solemn oath - an unbreakable pledge that the injured party will not rest until the insult has been avenged, in equal or greater kind. With these three words the Za is thereafter committed to a blood feud, which by Za law cannot be settled until blood has been spilled.

A blood feud may exist between individuals, families, or entire tribes. It may last a few moments, or may be passed down from one generation to the next, until the terms of the pledge have been fulfilled. A blood feud need not result in the death of the offending party in order to be satisfied, though this is often the case, as matters tend to get more heated the longer a feud goes on. Because the injured party is entitled by Za law to seek redress, the offender may not launch a blood feud of his or her own in response. Once matters have been settled, the feud is considered over and done with.

The longest running and greatest blood feud on record is that between the Za and the Archaens, which is said to have begun soon after the onset of The Great Disaster. According to the Za, the call of "Blood for Blood" was spoken when the Archaens broke their promise to the Za's ancestors, who had been ceded the rights to the continent of Talislanta as part of a truce between their two peoples (in return, the Archaens were ceded the rights to the skies above Talislanta). The so-called "sub-men uprising" is the Za's response to this affront, which took place over a thousand years ago, and is now directed against the ancestors of the Archaens.

© 1994 SMS

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