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The Serpents of Igani, also known as the Serpents, is an all-female part of the Igani government. Breaking with current cultural conventions, the Serpents only allow members who are biologically female. The Serpents of Igani can roughly be broken down into two distinct groups: the Serpent Guard and the diplomatic corps. Although both of these groups could exist without the other, they are two halves of a whole and as such share a common command structure and social tradition.

Although the Ha-mazan's are the common soldiers within the Serpents of Igani they should not be mistaken for normal soldiers. The Serpent Guards rigorous training regime and discipline makes them a foe to be reckoned with. Each and every member of the Serpent Guard is capable of filling nearly all roles within the traditional military, ranging from light infantry to heavy cavalry, skirmisher or mounted archer.

Due to tradition the South is a dangerous place for those men that practice diplomacy. Because every envoy is seen as an immediate threat to the safety of the ruler, they are under suspicion from the moment they arrive at court. This is why the diplomatic corps of the Serpents of Igani was envisioned. As each member of the Serpents of Igani is female, they are, according to the traditions and cultural background, not a threat to the ruler. Because a diplomatic envoy from the Serpents of Igani is a woman she can not only get close to those in power without being under constant suspicion, she can also gain access to, and therefore influence, the wives of those in power.

The following list contains notable members of the Serpents of Igani:

The Serpents of Igani have an official logo, used in seals, on official documents and as charge on shields. The logo is a Cobra ready to strike, with it's body and tail in single coil around it's head.

The Cobra's head symbolizes the Serpent's constant readiness to strike; even if the rest of the army is stood down, the Serpents are at all times prepared for war. The coiled tail symbolizes the self-contained and protective nature of the Serpents of Igani; only biological females are allowed as members, and the Serpents are zealously protective of their own. As the astute reader may have already observed, the logo of the Serpents of Igani fits rather well when overlayed on the Eclipse caste emblem.

Although even the detailed logo does not contain a lot of small details it is sometimes necessary to have a more recognizable logo. The simplified logo of the Serpents of Igani was designed exactly for this purpose. It is easy to mark down with only a brush and appropriate paint. It is also the most recognizable of the two when seen from great distances.

The simplified logo is also used to signal that a women or girl is Sifra. Because it is easy to draw and any piece of clothing can be ripped as to make a ribbon this ensures that a new Sifra can always be given an indication of her station. Of course, the temporary ribbon will be replaced with a more formal and elegant ribbon after some time.

The formal ranks of the Serpents of Igani are not public knowledge, they are not kept secret, but no effort is taken to make the ranks or insignia clear to the public. The normal public mostly speaks of one or more Serpents, without any indication of rank or position. However, internally there is a strict system of formal ranks set up along with the formal chain-of-command. Although these ranks indicate only a purely professional relation, they also have some impact on the social hierarchy of the Serpents.

The only difference between the ranks of the Serpent Guard and the diplomatic corps is the color on which the insignia is worn. The Serpent Guard wears rank insignia on black, while the diplomatic corps wears their rank insignia on white or beige.

Sifra is not a true rank in the sense that a Sifra is part of the military or the diplomatic corps. The term is derived from the word 'zero' in archaic Flametongue 'Sifr'. The 'rank' Sifra is used to indicate a woman or girl who is under the protection of the Serpents. See Traditions & Rules for more information about this phenomenon.

Realm Equivalent: -

The rank Ha-mazan is the lowest rank given to fully enlisted personnel. The name itself is derived from an archaic dialect of Flametongue, in which it's root '*ha-mazan-' means 'warriors', the contemporary pronounciation of the term has a silent first consonant and an emphasized first vowel (IPA: /ˈæməzən/).

Realm Equivalent: Soldier

The Thania Ha-mazan is the the second-lowest rank, and is equivalent to a Fanglord in the Realm military. This rank is colloquially known as 'Thania' without the Ha-mazan suffix. The name itself is a combination of the word 'Ha-mazan', which has been explained above, and the fully written ordinal 'second'; this rank is quite literally the 'Second Warrior'.

Realm Equivalent: Fanglord/Sergeant

The Thaletha Ha-mazan is the highest non-commisioned officer rank, with someone of this rank normally commanding exactly 25 women. In normale usage the 'Ha-mazan' suffix is dropped.

Realm Equivalent: Scalelord/Lieutenant

The rank of Salara is derived from archaic Flametongue by feminizing the suffix '-sālār', meaning 'chief'. The rank of Salara is usually used to indicate the leader of a Snake. Salara is also the first commisioned officer rank, and as such most noblewomen are afforded the courtesy of attaining this rank upon their joining. However, this is only a courtesy and circumstances might indicate another course of action.

Realm Equivalent: Talonlord/Captain

The rank of Khamesa Salara is the second commisioned officer rank, and it's name is derived from Flametongue the same way as the other ranks: The suffix Salara is prefixed with the ordinal 'Khamesa', meaning 'fifth'. This makes sense: when the Ha-mazan ranks is seen as outranking Sifra, the Khamesa Salara is literally the 'Fifth Chief' in the list of ranks.

Realm Equivalent: Dragonlord/Colonel

The Sadisa Salara is the second-highest commisioned officer. Colloquially known as 'Sadisa', the term is derived by prepending the ordinal 'sixth' in front of 'Salara'.

Realm Equivalent: Strategos/General

The rank of Shaha is the highest attainable rank within the Serpents of Igani. It is directly derived from the archaic Flametongue word 'shah' meaning 'king'. The rank is less of a military rank and is reserved for those that do not only have command, but are also in charge of the general direction of the Serpents as a whole. Most women who attain this rank did so because of their extraordinary dedication and loyalty.

Even if a Shaha does not have a military command she has a personal Scale at her disposal, to use as she pleases.

Realm Equivalent: -

Each rank has a formal scope of authority which is defined within the formal hierarchy. An important facet of the scope of authority is the distinction between combat orders and non-combat orders. Combat orders are all orders that have to do with unit manouvering, tactical and strategical operations and other orders during combat. Non-combat orders can only be issued outside of combat, and are understood to mean anything from 'please fetch the Thania of Scale such and such' to 'Insolent Ha-mazan! Clean up that mess now!'

It is necessary to keep in mind that although the Serpent Guard and the diplomatic corps share the same command structure, most members of the diplomatic corps only have basic combat training. And although they have the same level of discipline as the Serpent Guard, commanders can not expect diplomats to be competent soldiers.

The scope of authority for combat orders is very clear:

• Non-commisioned officers (Thania Ha-mazan, Thaletha Ha-mazan) can only issue orders to lower-ranking members of their own unit.
• Commisioned officiers (Salara, Khamesa Salara, Sadisa Salara and Shaha) can issue orders to lower-ranking members of other units as well.

However, the scope for non-combat orders is slightly more convoluted. Each rank is allowed to issue orders to everyone directly under their command, but this does not allow them to order lower-ranking members of other units with impunity:

• The lowest officers (Thania Ha-mazan) are only allowed to issue orders to their own unit.
• The Thaletha Ha-mazan and Salara can issue orders to Ha-mazan of other units.
• The Khamesa Salara can issue orders to any non-commisioned officer (Thania Ha-mazan, Thaletha Ha-mazan) as well as to any Ha-mazan.
• The legion commanders (Sadisa Salara and Shaha) are allowed to issue orders to any outranked officer.

An exception to the non-combat scope of authority is made for the Sifra, every member of the Serpents that outranks them (including the Ha-mazan) is allowed to issue orders to any Sifra, and to administer punishment immediately if the order is not obeyed.

Due to it's military background the Serpents have a highly formal hierarchy with a clear chain-of-command. However, parallel to the formal chain-of-command of the Serpents is a more fluid social hierarchy which forms the basis for most of the day-to-day interaction between members of the Serpents.

The formal hierarchy of the whole division is set up to attain the most auspicious of hierarchical strucures: a chain-of-command in which each unit (including the unit's commander) counts a number of women equal to five to the power of the units height in the hierarchy.

In the following sections the formal hierachy, and it's implications for the social structure of the Serpents will be discussed. The following sections all assume that each member of the unit is ranked according to her station. Exceptional units might exist in which members are highly ranking officers. For example: A diplomatic special operations Fang might consist of four women of Fang commander rank commanded by a highly esteemed Legion commander.

Within the formal hierarcy, three categories of units can be found: fully military, mixed, and fully diplomatic. A fully military unit consists of only Serpent Guards, a mixed unit consists of both Serpent Guards and diplomats and a fully diplomatic unit consists of only diplomats. Units that consist mainly of diplomats with only a few Serpent Guards assigned as bodyguards or protectors are considered fully diplomatic.

Each of the following unit has a small summary table containing the Exalted group magnitude (Magnitude), the number of women in a unit (Size), the number of those women who have a command (Commands), the equivalent unit in the Realm (Realm Equivalent), and the usualy Commanding Officer Rank (CO Rank).

CO Rank: -

The smallest unit recognized in the formal hierarchy is the solo unit. This unit exists mostly to allow correct bookkeeping, few members of the Serpents are actually part of a solo unit.

Most members of the Serpents do not appreciate operating as a Solo unit. Some leeway is given to a women operating as a solo unit, mostly due to the fact that no member of the Serpents may have relations with a non-member unless special permission is obtained first.

CO Rank: Thania Ha-mazan

The next unit is the Fang. This unit numbers exactly 5 women, with the first among them being of the second rank.

The Fang is the most basic unit in the Serpents of Igani, and most fangs consist of a tightly knit group of women who depend on each other for support and assistance, both on the battle field and during diplomatic or private pursuits.

CO Rank: Thaletha Ha-mazan

A Scale consists of five Fangs. This unit numbers exactly 25 women, with the first among them being of the third rank. Note that this unit counts only 5 commanders, with the Scale commander also commanding her own Fang.

Although each member of the Scale commander's own Fang is still ranked as a regular soldier, they enjoy a slightly elevated social status due to their association with the Scale commander.

CO Rank : Salara

A Snake consists of five Scales. This unit numbers exactly 125 women, with the first among the being of the fourth rank. Note that this units has exactly 25 commanders, with the Snake commander also commanding her own Scale, and each of the Scale commanders (including the Snake commander herself) also commanding her own Fang.

The members of the Fang commanded directly by the Snake commander are mostly used as relays to the Snake commander. However, as the Snake commander herself still has direct battlefield responsibilities, most commanders drill their own Fang with the same harshness (and sometimes even harder) as all the other soldiers in the Snake.

Within a fully diplomatic Snake, the members of the Fang commanded directly by the Salara are usually her aides and advisors. Incidentally the snake is the largest unit that is usually fielded as a fully diplomatic unit.

CO Rank: Khamesa Salara

A Nest consists of five Snakes. This unit numbers exactly 625 women, with the first among the being of the fifth rank. Note that this unit has exactly 125 commands, with the Nest commander als commanding her own Snake, and each of the Snake commanders (including the nest commander) commanding her own Scale, and so forth.

Most Nest commanders put their own Fang to good use as a combination of bodyguards and aides, As the Nest commander also directly commands four Fang's which she can set up as relays, couriers and scouts. Most Nest commander pride themselves with the fact that they command the fiercest Snake in the whole Nest. However, especially when an experienced commander is assigned to an unexperienced Nest, she might also do the exact opposite by assigning the most inexperienced soldiers to her own Snake.

CO Rank: Sadisa Salara

A Legion consists of five Nests. This unit numbers exactly 3125 women, with the first among them being of the sixth rank.

Although the personal Fang of the Legion commander is still outranked even by a mere Fang commander, most Scale commanders think twice before crossing a soldier who has the ear of the Legion commander (and will most likely use the next opportunity she gets to vent her frustrations). Legion commanders with aspirations will most likely still take to the field, confident that their own personal guards will protect them even if the fighting goes awry.

The Serpents have a structure of social importance and dominance parallel to the formal hierarchy. A normal army does not have such a facility and would surely be unable of supporting such a complex social structure. However, because of the stringent requirements that all members of the Serpents have to contend with (see Traditions & Rules for an in-depth view of these requirements) the social structure provides an anchor for social relations within the Serpents.

In the Serpents, rank alone is not enough to determines any woman's social importance, as the ability to lead is not the same as social influence. For example, a soldier attached directly to the Sadisa Salara of her legion is of much greater social rank than any of the non-commisioned officers within that legion. Due to this discrepency between formal rank and social importance the social dynamics within Serpents provides much more interaction and is rather challenging to navigate without stepping on anyone's toes.

Someone's social status is generally determined by the number of 'skipped' ranks between herself and her immediate commanding officer. This makes the Ha-mazan directly attached to a Shaha have great social standing, purely from the fact that they can associate with the Shaha directly. Another factor to take into account when determining the social importance of a member of the Serpents is whether she is currently involved with someone of higher formal rank. For example: Of two otherwise identical members of Salara rank, the member who is involved with her Khamesa Salara has higher social standing.

The Serpents of Igani have a unique set of rules and traditions, some of these mimic the rules of other military institutions (mostly the Brides of Ahlat), but some of the rules and traditions are clearly unique. In this section some of the more defining rules and tradiditons are highlighted.

All of the rules apply in the normal case.

Everyone that wants to join the Serpents should satisfy the following:

• The person must be biologically female
• She must be a virgin (of all rules, this one is overruled the most)

While part of the Serpents of Igani, each member has to stick to the following:

• She will not have relations with anyone outside of the Serpents
• She will obey all legal commands without question, even if these put her in direct danger

Failure to satisfy the last two requirements will result in severe punishment up to (and including) execution.

Sifra are not slaves or property, they are women and girls under the protection of the Serpents. Sifra are not bought, they choose to become Sifra of their own accord. However, Sifra must obey every command given to them by a member of the Serpents. If they are given conflicting commands, the command of the higher ranking officer has precedence. If given conflicting by officers of the same rank, the first command has precedence.

Once Sifra, every woman or girl is clothed, fed and cared for by the Serpents. Girls that are deemed to young to become Sifra will be cared for if their mother is Sifra, and they will be given the choice of becoming Sifra once they are old enough.

It is easy to recognize if a women or girl is Sifra: Either her hair is bound with ribbons on which a simplified Serpents insignia is displayed, or she wears a headscarf displaying the Serpents insignia. The hair ribbon is largely the preferred method, with the headscarf being used only during formal events.

It is possible for someone to be freed of their obligation as Sifra, if they succesfully plead their case to a commanding officer of rank Salara or higher.

Prisoners require committed resources (both in food, water and the need for guards), therefore the Serpents of Igani will not keep someone prisoner for a duration longer than seven days. Take note that this rule also applies to prisoners of war, but can be stretched a bit when negotiation is ongoing.

• Imprisoned males will either be dealt with according to orders or executed,
• Imprisoned females will be dealt with according to orders, or given the opportunity to become Sifra to escape execution.

The Serpents of Igani shall not lower themselves to the moral level of the common army, and as such do not use torture to reach their goals. Social coercion and physical contact is allowed, but the infliction of physical pain is prohibited. Even the most provoking prisoner does not warrant the use of torture.

The Serpents of Igani will have an easier time than most military institutions to catch spies in disguise:

• Caught spies who tell the truth about their employer (including all knowledge about troop disposition, current and future plans, etc.) are released and publicly rewarded for the provided information,
• Caught spies we are not willing to tell the truth, or who refrain from cooperation are executed immediately.

Because the Serpents are not allways in uniform it is easy to pose as a member of the Serpents. One only has to wear a false insignia to appear a legitimate member of the Serpents of Igani.

• Caught imposters will be offered the opportunity to become Sifra, or transfered up through the chain-of-command

The Serpents have a clear disticiton between an enemy that surrenders, and an enemy that is conquered. Surrender happens before battle is joined, when the Serpents have not yet attacked. If a soldier throws down his or her arms and gives up the Serpents see this as that person being conquered, even if the person in question shouts 'I surrender!'.

A group can only surrender as a whole, it is not possible for some people to surrender and some to fight. For example, before battle the village of Ohoh is given the opportunity to surrender: if the village spokesperson says the village surrenders the whole village counts as surrendered. If the spokesperson says the village will not surrender, it is not possible for some of the villagers to surrender while the village militia offers resistance.

When surrendered:

• Combatant males are prisoners-of-war,
• Combatant females are prisoners-of-war,
• Non-combatant males are disarmed and released,
• Non-combatant females are given the opportunity to either become Sifra or be released.

When conquered:

• Combatant males will be summarily executed,
• Combatant females will be given the opportunity to become Sifra to escape summary execution,
• Non-combatant males will be used as the Serpents see fit (which might including execution),
• Non-combatant females will be given the opportunity to become Sifra, if they decline they will be used as the Serpents see fit and released afterwards.

Most of the defining traditions of the Serpents of Igani break with cultural expectations.

What constitutes an acceptable non-combat order is not defined by the formal scope of authority. This was left unclear by design, so as to promote the formation of differing social hierarchy. Whether a non-combat order is acceptable is partly determined by the difference in rank between the one issueing the order and the one receiving the order; some other factors also impact the accetability of a non-combat order: social standing, whether the one issueing the order is a Serpent Guard or not, etc.

Most members of the serpents do not balk at a non-combat order if it does not entail a significant amount of effort, even if the order comes from someone who might not even have the formal privilege of issueing the order. However, orders that entail a significant amount of effort will only be accepted if the issuer is of sufficient rank or standing. Of special significance is the distinction between Serpent Guards and diplomats. A non-combat order issued by a Serpent Guard to a diplomat is more likely to be accepted than the same order issued by a diplomat. This is mainly because the diplomats recognize the fact that their sole source of protection comes from the Serpent Guard.

Acceptable non-combat orders run the gamut, and can range from simple menial tasks to intimacy. The latter being considered more of a request than an order, and the acceptance of such an 'order' depending on much more than simple social standing.

Most initiation rites differ by unit. Although some trends can be identified that set apart the rites between the Serpent Guard and the diplomatic corps.

Initiation within the Serpent Guard is nearly always based on a test of physical prowess. Most common are tests of endurance or a competetive event. Initiation within the diplomatic corps almost always involves a task set by the commander that the new member should accomplish within a day, by whatever means she deems necessary. The task is never impossible, and recruits that are seemingly unable to make it will almost certainly receive some assistance from an already established member of the unit.

Regardless of the specific rites, a common constant among all initiation rites throughout the Serpents of Igani is a celebration in honour of the new member or members. The celebration culminates with the commanding officer of the unit congratulating the new member or members in private.