Maluhada
The Maluhada is a culturally sacred organization for the triton of the Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Water charged with protecting and interpretating for the Great Conch, an artifact that contains the collected memories and experiences of all living and dead tritons.
Structure
The Maluhada is split into three suborganizations, called the Past, Present, and Future, the leaders of which form its ruling council.
The Elder of the Past and those under them are responsible for maintaining the Great Conch, communing with it, interpretting its visions, and internalizing the great history of the triton people. The Elder of the Present is the face of the Maluhada, and them or their representatives travel and advise the various triton governments when called to do so. The Elder of the Future is responsible for the recruitment of new members to the Maluhada and is in charge of the naming ceremony that all triton desire to take part in.
Public Agenda
The Maluhada are not a unifying government for the disparate triton peoples but nearly all triton societies recognized and valued the Maluhada's presence, wisdom, and advice, which carried great weight.
New members for the Maluhada are chosen when they are children, pulling from all triton societies without distinction, and the criteria for selection is unknown. This indifference to origin has continued to give the Maluhada great influence, as it is impartial towards all triton governments.
Typical triton know of or only interact with the Maluhada in one of two ways. The first is by receiving a vision from the Great Conch, which contains the collected memories of the entire triton people. Before undertaking great quests or leading armies to war, triton can petition the Maluhada for aid. If granted, the petitioner can recieve a vision from the Great Conch pulled from the history of the triton people that can offer wisdom or comfort depending on the task.
The other way is through the triton naming ceremonies. For tritons, last names are of the utmost import. When a triton performs a heroic act, winning a great battle, slaying a great many enemies, or performing a similar act of valor, the Maluhada are informed by the Great Conch, which stores all the memories and shared experiences of the triton people. The Maluhada then recognize the heroic Triton and bestow upon them a last name, which generally is indicative of the deed performed (such as Lorna indicating the triton was the hero of the Battle of Lorna Trench), which replaces their old name if they already had one. Additionally, that last name is shared with the triton's spouse and their descendants. Because the Great Conch is capable of sensing the actions of all triton, last names are also rewarded posthumously, even if there were no witnesses, as the triton faith in the conch's correctness is absolute.
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