Editing Gloria-Etalia (section)

==== Iacarés ====

The Iacaré tribe is formed by dozens of nomad clans which travel all over the Empire’s rivers and coasts on their vessels. The common boat is the Bumbaré, a big canoe which can house one family, a fire at the center, a sail and can be covered by a leather canvas. Bumbaré flotillas group together for safety, fishing, trading, whale hunting and gathering pearls. Each clan has a totem, usually an aquatic animal like a frog, shark, crocodile and such.

Among the Iacarés, being a pirate is an honorable profession. The Treants forbid them from attacking other Vassal tribes, but allow them to prey upon any foreign vessels which come too close to the Empire and don’t have a permit to do so. A pirate crew is usually made of several families which build or buy a bigger ship. They elect their captain and follow him during combat. But in every other matter, like deciding who to attack, follow the will of the majority.

Each clan buries their dead on a specific Sambaqui. These are earthen mounds filled with layers upon layers of bones. Some Sambaquis can be mistaken for hills. Many precious offerings to the ancestors are also buried on them, some taken as booty from far lands. Every ten years, the Iacarés gather around the Sambaquis and perform competitions to select guardians.