The Marches children

Marcher children are treated like any other growing thing; they are nurtured so that they may grow straight, strong and true, they are showered with love like the rain and sun and with discipline like the frost and wind.

It is universally recognised in the Marches that children are not yet “finished”, that is, that they have not grown enough in order to bear fruit (have children of their own, fight in the armies, or contribute to the nation in quite the same way as an adult). Until adulthood is reached, a child’s soul has not “fixed” or “settled” in their body, this is why children can be prone to selfishness, whim or fancy and can be unpredictable or fickle. However, that doesn't mean they can't work: they can watch, and they can help on the farm.

It is a common belief that the straw dollies given to children each year contain part of their soul that has been kept in the earth. Looking after the poppet is part of the child’s growing and maturing process – “learn to look after yourself and you’ll better look out for others” many a mother has been heard to say to her child. When the child’s poppet is ploughed back into the field his or her connection to the land is strengthened and that portion of their soul can rest for a short time.

The Rights and Tests of Adulthood, common across The Empire have just as much meaning in the Marches. When a child passes the tests and is deemed to be an adult, there is a celebration. Not unlike a birthday, gifts are given and tradition dictates that parents present their children with a weapon so that the child may fight for the Marches when needed and with a tool so that he or she may work the land in the mean time. These items are often heirlooms and have been passed along generations of families. This tradition is thought to be the origination of the phrase “sword and shear alike”.

There are a few regional variations upon this, but the principles are the same. Some well-wishers give a gift of symbolic jewellery representing the items instead.

Things every Child should know

• Heart and hearth Your Household is very important. You must work hard, learn things, and be the best you can be to keep your Household strong and safe.
• know a body by their March; judge'em by their company Stick with your friends and they will stick by you. Do as your leaders say, speak up if you don’t agree, and never make a promise you can’t keep.
• One boy's a boy, two boys is half a boy and three boys is no boy at all. Work always comes before play. If you see a job that needs doing, do it yourself to make sure it gets done.
• Sow, tend and reap; fight, toil and weep Your Household’s farms and lands are very important and must be looked after properly. Listen to the Landkeepers, they know more about the land than anybody else, and can tell you all kinds of interesting things about it.
• The land sees all. Never tell lies and always speak up if something is wrong.
• Strong seeds, strong crops, strong land Doing something well is more important than doing it quickly. Always do the best job you can.