Island Rangers

In the Ovinex Island Tribes, crimes which affect more than one Native Ovinex tribe require a forceful, mobile response. Island Rangers are itinerant Gam Pfa'a practitioners who serve the collective interests of the Ovinex tribes as a paramilitary arm, performing coast guard, policing, and search-and rescue roles in places where tribal security dare not tread.
These are their stories.

Career

Qualifications

All Island Rangers are expected to be proficient in Gam Pfa'a, the traditional martial art of the Native Ovinex people; indeed, a sturdy ba'amba adorned with marks symbolizing missions one has undertaken is considered an Island Ranger's badge of office. Additionally, Island Rangers are expected to have diverse skill sets related to their expected 'beats,' such as wilderness survival, sailing, communications, tracking, and investigations. Because Island Rangers frequently come into contact with visitors and members of the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy navy, most are capable of understanding multiple languages, though their anatomy often prevents them from speaking these languages clearly.

Career Progression

As Island Rangers complete missions on behalf of the tribes, they gain prestige among their peers. They expand the decorations upon their ba'amba to reflect their achievements, using their known deeds to establish an informal rank system among themselves. An older Island Ranger with a worn, ornately carved ba'amba will be deffered to in situations where multiple Island Rangers must work together. Alternatively, Island Rangers that go rogue - or worse, 'turn Rex' - are hunted tirelessly by the others to cleanse the stain of dishonor from the profession.

Payment & Reimbursement

Island Rangers are often paid in food, equipment, and other forms of support by tribes who hire them for missions. Island Rangers are occasionally successful, heroic, or charming enough to attract the attentions of female Ovinex within a tribe which they have assisted. In these circumstances, an Island Ranger may gain a single wife from among the tribe's females, though the female must not be part of a harem already and must consent to the marriage; the permanent arrangement between an Island Ranger and his wife is one of the few instances of permanent monogamy among Native Ovinex, though Civil Ovinex are seldom surprised when they see it.

Other Benefits

Known Island Rangers are not required to pay taxes and levies to any tribe, and are considered free from the edicts of any tribal authorities while working outside of said tribes (though they must honor any terms of inter-tribe alliances). Island Rangers may reside anywhere in the countryside so long as they do not disrupt the economic activities of nearby tribes. Native Ovinex tribes regard taking care of a retired Island Ranger's needs as a matter of tribal honor.

Perception

Purpose

Island Rangers fulfill many of the roles that humanoid cultures ascribe to professional security, law enforcement, or national guard cadres, though they do so at an inter-tribe level rather than within the tribes themselves. Island Rangers conduct search-and-rescue operations in the wild or at sea, hunt down feral Ram Rex and fugitives which threaten the lives and livelyhoods of Native Ovinex tribe members, and investigate mysterious occurrences in the Ovinex home territories. Put another way, Island Rangers are what humanoid cultures would consider adventurers in sense of fantasy literature, seeking excitement, righting wrongs, and generally working to make their homeland a better place.

Demographics

A majority of Island Rangers (though not all) are males or freemartins. Island rangers are usually the lesser sons of tribal officials, who regard these individuals as potential rivals. Occasionally, a reformed (or simply misunderstood) Ram Rex will become an Island Ranger, using his innate ferocity and long experience with the wild to fulfill the role through unconventional means; in Native Ovinex stories, these 'Rex Rangers' are popular antiheroes.

Alternative Names

I.R.

Type

Military