A Customs Study of Hilichurls: Vol. 1

A study by Mondstadt ecologist and "laureate poet of Hilichurlian" Jacob Musk on Hilichurl social customs. This volume introduces the social forms and features of Hilichurls.

Hilichurl Society

Hilichurls clearly maintain a simple tribal social life. They often live scattered in the wild in small tribes; the tribe seems to them like a large family.

In general, the most authoritative figure in a Hilichurl tribe is the shaman. From long field observation and exchange, this writer can confirm that the shaman is the oldest member of the tribe, like the tribe's "great parent," using rich experience to handle major affairs and decisions, and elemental power to protect the tribe. In wild Hilichurl tribes, shamans' appearance is very distinctive. They always wear unique horned smiling masks whose openings are observation holes for the eyes; they always hold crude shaman staffs, and forever mutter songs or spells of unclear meaning.

Age is not the only measure of status among Hilichurls. In many tribes, members with greater bulk and stronger combat power automatically replace the shaman as tribal leader, and under their leadership such tribes seem to grow more warlike. We can easily tell those warlike tribal chieftains by their huge build and extravagant horned mask ornaments.

Because of Hilichurls' hostility to outsiders and the language barrier, it is hard to study resource allocation inside tribes with certainty. But according to Knights of Favonius patrol reports, they seem to share resources within the tribe according to need. All Hilichurls are both foragers and warriors, but those who value combat more will train into bulkier main fighters; if they live long enough in harsh environments, these specialized warriors become the most esteemed leaders of the tribe.

Interestingly, though Hilichurls' intelligence is low and their social form and organization quite primitive, they seem to have a unique grasp of elemental power, often most pronounced in elderly shamans. For ordinary humans, elemental power can only be wielded through a Vision. Why Hilichurls can master elemental power without a Vision still needs further study and research to answer.