Ratau were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste in Iokeihiko. They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords. They cultivated the Law of Kororia, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles. During the peaceful Simul Motu era, they became the stewards and chamberlains of the lordly estates, gaining managerial experience and education. They were also used show off in athletic competition or to be protectors and guards for important persons such as glyphers, lords, and ladies. Its beginnings lie far back in historic tribal warfare customs, when groups of armed men called ratau battled.
Genesis of the Ratau
Hereditary Ratau
Common Traditions
Genesis of the Ratau
The Kororia ratau is popularly identified with the ascent of Lord Urupa Fodelse, the wandering lord of Iokeihiko, but was certainly in place before his time. Young men were organized into age groups, with each cohort responsible for certain duties and tribal ceremonies. Periodically, the older age grades were summoned to lords for consultations, assignments, and an induction ceremony that marked their transition from boys to full-fledged adults and warriors. The settlement elders generally handled local disputes and issues. Above them were the nobility (lords and ladies), and above the nobility stood the Chief or King, although this position had dissipated during the creation of Simul Motu. The lords handled administrative matters for their chiefs – ranging from settlement of disputes, to the collection of taxes. In time of war, lords and ladies supervised the fighting men in their areas, forming leadership of the military forces deployed for combat. The age grade warriors, under the guidance of the lords, formed the basis for the systematic regimental organization that would become known as the ratau.
Militarily warfare was mild among Iokeihiko, though it occurred. Objectives were typically limited to such matters as cattle raiding, avenging some personal insult, or resolving disputes over segments of grazing land. There were no campaigns of extermination against the defeated. They simply moved on to other open spaces on the veldt, and equilibrium was restored. The bow and arrow were known but seldom used. Warfare, like the hunt, depended on skilled spearmen and trackers. The primary weapon was a thin 6-foot throwing spear. Several were carried into combat. Many battles were prearranged, with the clan warriors meeting at an assigned place and time. Ritualized taunts, single combats and tentative charges were the typical pattern. If the affair did not dissipate before, one side might find enough courage to mount a sustained attack, driving off their enemies. Casualties were usually light. The defeated clan might pay in lands or cattle and have captives to be ransomed, but extermination and mass casualties were rare. Outside the ritual battles, the quick raid was the most frequent combat action.
Sometime during the life of Urupa Foldese, the roles and standards of ratau changed. A stronger shield, shorter dagger, and thinner blade were introduced and became famous for their lethal potential. Lords now desired that combat would be drawn to a swift and bloody decision, as opposed to duels of individual champions, scattered raids, or limited skirmishes where casualties were comparatively light. This period also saw the rise of the ratau under noble rule as they were entrusted with the security of the estates and were symbols of the ideal warrior and citizen.
Because of these advancements, hand-to-hand combat became more effective. The throwing spear was not discarded but standardized like the stabbing implement and carried as a missile weapon, typically discharged at the foe before close contact. These weapons changes integrated with and facilitated an aggressive mobility and tactical organization.
In addition to the weapons of any soldier, ratau officers often carried the half-moon shaped Kororia ax, but this weapon was more of a symbol to show their rank.
To discourage battle, shields remained property of lords; they were stored in specialized structures raised off the ground for protection from vermin when not issued to the relevant regiment. Close combat relied on coordinated use of the Kororia Sabre and shield. The warrior sought to get the edge of his shield behind the edge of his enemy's, so that he could pull the enemy's shield to the side, thus opening him to a thrust into the abdomen or chest.
Hereditary Ratau
Hereditary ratau warriors were trained as early as age six, joining the army as porters at first, being enrolled into same-age groups. Ratau boys accompanied their fathers and brothers on campaign as servants. Eventually, they would become cadets. They would spend their time training until they were formally enlisted by the local lord or, in earlier times, by their king.
Leadership was not a complicated affair. Overall guidance of the host was furnished by elder ratau usually with many years of experience. One or more of these elder chiefs might accompany a big force on an important mission, but there was no single "field marshal" in supreme command of all ratau forces.
Common Traditions
According to tradition, ratau were bound by a code of honor and were expected to set an example for those below them.
Despite the rampant romanticism of ratau, they could be disloyal and treacherous, cowardly, brave, or foolish. Ratau were usually loyal to their immediate superiors, who in turn allied themselves with higher lords. These loyalties to the higher lords often shifted; for example, the high lords were served by loyal ratau, but the feudal lords under them could shift their support, taking their ratau with them. There were, however, also notable instances where ratau would be disloyal to their lord when loyalty to the Law of Kororia was seen as having supremacy.
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