Dancinglight, Vitgrud

The Dancinglight of Vitgrud is not related to the Dancinglight and Water Seekers of the New Eddy. It is the title given to the senior water handler and de facto leader of Vitgrud.

Qualifications

At a minimum, the Dancinglight must be a water handler who has completed the Trial of Life.  Beyond that, it is up to the current Dancinglight to evaluate her skill level and decide when she is ready to accept the title.

Requirements

Only a water handler can be Dancinglight, and only descendants of Vitgrud's first Dancinglight have the ability to handle water.  Each such child is assessed for handling skill before the age of five.  To ensure a clear chain of succession, typically the first identified water handler in each generation is tapped as future Dancinglight and trained in the skills specific to the job.

Duties

Aside from the practical responsibilities of managing Vitgrud, the Dancinglight has a number of ceremonial roles--among them leading the half-year tally, and conducting the farewell and welcome for each Trial of Life.  She also visits each village offshoot monthly to receive status reports.

Responsibilities

The Dancinglight is legislator, judge, strategist, director, and sometimes even matchmaker for Vitgrud and all its offshoot villages.  She makes and enforces the rules, plans major projects and assigns work roles, and keeps demographic records of the population.  The Dancinglight is not exempt from physical labor; respect in Vitgrud for anyone, regardless of rank, is earned by putting in time on work crews.

Accoutrements & Equipment

The Vitgrud water handler's mantle is a long-sleeved garment with a very short body, featuring long fringing along the arms.  The sleeves do not fully enclose the arms, but are tied on at the wrist and above and below the elbow, allowing the mantle to be worn over any other kind of clothing.

The hanging fringe is about the length of a forearm. When worn properly, it should fall to either side of the arms; this means that when in uniform, water handlers may not let their hands drop below the waist.  The mantle is impractical for daily wear, and for the most part it is reserved for use in meetings. Only the Dancinglight of Vitgrud may wear the mantle in public ceremonies, even if other water handlers have roles to play.

Dancinglight mantle worn over winter gear by The Big G

History

The speculation fleet that intended to explore the island of Ralcondray included the Eddy's Dancinglight as a crewmember to help protect them from ocean-based hazards. When the fleet was devastated by a disease that killed nearly 80% of the crew and left the rest with memory loss, it was Vitat who was most responsible for keeping the survivors from self-destruction. After reaching their destination and establishing Vitgrud, they continued to look to him as the colony's foremost authority.
At his death twenty years later, his daughter Hulwif took the mantle as the only remaining trained water handler. To bring Vitgrud through the hardest winter in its history, she set herself up as an authoritarian leader. Hulwif prepared Zimmira as her successor, and stepped down after Gorles was born to concentrate on training him. When Gorles absconded to the Eddy, Zimmira transferred the succession to her own daughter Shemda.
With the Cluster Islands taking a renewed interest in Ralcondray, Zimmira herself went to the Eddy to pursue further training in water manipulation. In her absence, Ard has assumed the title of Vitgrud's Dancinglight.

Type

Civic, Political

Status

The future of Vitgrud's Dancinglight is uncertain. As contact is more firmly established between Ralcondray and the Cluster Islands, possible confusion with the Eddy's Dancinglight may require a renaming of the title.

Also, the political structure of Vitgrud is in a state of flux. As acting Dancinglight, Ard has allowed the offshoot captains more discretion in governing their own villages, opening up the question of whether a central authority is even necessary.