Masked Chieftain

The leader of The Silent Screechers serves as a protector of the tribe in the harsh home that is The Gauze Grot. Serving in the role, the Yile family has served the lost and desperate for generations, all while hidden from known society.

Requirements

All Chieftains are members of the Yile family, descending from Crable Yile, the founder of The Silent Screechers. The child of the Chieftain is appointed after the death or resignation of the current Chieftain, unless they have not yet donned the mask of the Screecher. In this scenario, the clan is maintained by the senior members until the heir comes of age or an older relative takes the position temporarily.

Appointment

If the next Chieftain is not of age, the mask donning ritual of The Silent Screechers is performed with the necessary editions for conferring the role of leader on them. Otherwise, they swear an oath before all members of the tribe to uphold the security and peace of The Masked Village.

Duties

The Chieftain is responsible for maintaining order in the tribe and protecting their people. However, anyone in the group deemed a threat and with an intent to harm the village must be subdued before the tribe is put in danger. Upon someone becoming a hunter of The Silent Screechers, donning the mask of the predator of The Gauze Grot, the chieftain must attend the ceremony to verify the appointment. Often, the Masked Chieftain will join the hunters on the hunts and ventures of larger scale.

Benefits

In terms of power, most of it comes from respect, admiration, and by those means influence as opposed to an actual position of concrete dominance over the tribe. The chieftain is the guardian protector, a servant to the people, and by no means above them. Since trade and planned economy are the cornerstone of monetary value in the tribal society, the leader has no more than any other person in the village. As the role is greatly respected (descending from the founder of The Silent Screechers, Crable Yile) the majority of people will listen to the advice and wisdom of their leader.

Accoutrements & Equipment

The mask of the chieftain is slightly more adorned than that of a regular warrior, perhaps with fur around the shoulders, beads, feathers, or a mix of the above decorations. Handed down through the Yile family is a long wooden staff that once belonged to a wise and trusted elder of the House who was killed in the escape from Loshmak forces. Crable Yile took up his staff to honour the sacrifice he had made. Ever since then the staff has marked the leader of the tribe as a defender of the weak, willing to lay down their life for the well being of others.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

If the chieftain is deemed as not doing what is in the best interest of the tribe and putting its members in danger, they may be forcefully removed and dismissed. This rarely happens however, and when it does the chieftain may be allowed to live in the tribe instead of imprisonment or exile.

History

The first Masked Chieftain was officially announced after the discovery that the heads of Screechers could be used to dismiss the toxicity of the air of The Gauze Grot. This was after Crable Yile led her House out into the Grot after being ran out of the court of The Loshmak Dynasty. As more people, both Human and Glayshan, began to join the tribe, Crable had a child with a human man named Jonack Putal. The boy, containing both slave and golden blood, was named Traw Yile. This line would continue on, holding the role of chieftain for many years.

A decorated Screecher mask.

Type

Familial

Alternative Naming

Gauze Guardian

Source of Authority

The people of The Silent Screechers

Length of Term

For life

First Holder

Crable Yile

Related Locations

• The Gauze Grot
• The Masked Village

Related Organizations

• The Silent Screechers