Editing Nezumi (section)

====Leadership====
Unlike the Rokugan and their obsession with lineage, the tribes of nezumi take a more practical viewpoint; leadership of a tribe stems from tribal consensus, meaning that the boss is whoever is seen as wise & skillful enough to do the job right and who manages to get the other nezumi to like him or her enough to respect that. In large tribes, this leads to "pack chiefs" or "bosses", secondary chiefs who represent distinctive sub-groups within the tribe and form a council that the chief depends on to keep the tribe functioning.

Needless to say, this leads to a lot of internal politicking and subterfuge, as established chiefs have to constantly try and make themselves seem like the best choice.

Shamans occasionally come to rule tribes, and are unquestioned when they do so, but the irony is that the strong code of ethics needed to work nezumi magic doesn't mesh well with the underhanded political tactics needed to run a tribe. As such, shamans usually serve as neutral advisors to whoever's in charge at the moment.

That said, because of the tendency for a nezumi's life to be short, brutal and dangerous, those who survive into old age are considered valuable tribal resources. Indeed, old age is synoymous with strong Name, and the more elders that a tribe has and can support, the more successful that tribe is judged to be by other nezumi. Their advice has great impact on the decision-making of the tribe, and ignoring it, whilst allowed, is seen as reckless.

Such is the reverence that nezumi have for their elders that they strive to never leave them behind; the oldest are carried in litters, and being chosen for this role is seen as a matter of great pride - an elder's litter-bearer is, to a degree, sharing that elder's Name. As such, elder chieftains are usually borne about their tribe's bosses, whilst elder shamans are normally carried by their apprentices.