BLOOD FEUD

"Two murderers were next brought to him for sentencing. The first, a commoner, had slain a boatsman from Schendi. The second, an askari, had killed another askari. The commoner was ordered to have his fingers cut off and then be put upon a tharlarion pole in Lake Ushindi. That his fingers be removed was accounted mercy on the part of Bila Huruma, that he be able to cling less long to the pole and his miseries be the sooner terminated. He had slain not one of the domain of Bila Huruma but one of Schendi. His crime, thus, was regarded as the less heinous. The askari was ordered to be speared to death by one of his own kin. In this fashion his honor would be protected and there would be no beginning of a possible blood feud between families. The askari petitioned, however, to be permitted to die instead fighting the enemies of the Ubarate."~Explorers of Gor 

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A blood feud may arise when a tribe or family believes one of their members has been wrongly killed, or a matter of honor may trigger the feud. Whatever the cause, the conflict can escalate quickly and turn into a eadly exchange, with each side killing a member of the other until the conflict is resolved.

To quickly end the conflict, a neutral third party, such as a Vizier, Bey, Pasha or Shiek, can be invited to mediate the conflict. Mediation begins with the ceremony of digging and burying. Each side in the feud draws lines in the sand-one for every tribe member killed. If the death toll is uneven, the side with fewer lines must pay a blood price usually a combination of animals, goods and money) to offset the other tribe's loss. The neutral party strives to set a price that preserves the honor of everyone involved.

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