What does a southern man think when somebody speaks of Cimmerians? Fear must enter his heart, for he has heard the stories of wild barbarian hordes, of hard men who will slay another for any reason and no reason. He thinks of chaos, of bloodshed, of a dark land where each man stands for himself.

It is not so. Our kinsmen will slay any man who stands against their land and hearth, aye. But there is more to it. So much more. We Cimmerians stand for honour, for in a land where an insult can get you killed and gold coins mean little, honour is your most precious possession.

The Code of Honour

I You will abide by your Clan's treaties and alliances, unless under grave provocation.

II You will not let an insult against yourself, your kin or your Clan go unpunished. Retribution doesn't have to be immediate, but it will come.

III You will be willing and able to fight for yourself. A man who doesn't defend himself isn't worth of Crom's gift of strength.

IV You will not slay a honourable but helpless foe. Dishonourable foes can expect no mercy.

V You will not throw empty insults and threats, that is the way of civilised men. Weight your words carefully, they will be seen as your measure as a man.

VI You will not harm a woman or a child, that includes forcing yourself on an unwilling woman. Defending yourself against a warrior-woman or striking a disrespectful child are fine.

VII You will take a measure of a man, or woman, for their actions, not their birth, wealth or position.

VIII You will abide by Fir Far towards other Cimmerians and other honourable foes. You will show no mercy or restraint when fighting foes with no honour.

IX You will respect the Laws of Hospitality, and never break them first.

X You will never abandon or refuse to help your Kinsmen, even if you believe them weak or dishonourable. You will not aid your Kinsmen in any task violating the Code of Honour, nor will you obey an order from the Chieftain or the Elders that violates these rules.

XI The Clan comes first. You will never put the well-being of strangers before those of your clansmen, that includes friends, comrades and lovers you may have outside the Clan. We will stand beside you, but you must stand beside us.

Laws of Hospitality

Hospitality is a very important issue for Cimmerians. Clans are fiercely protective of their territory, and being allowed to visit their lands is an honour. Breaking that trust can result in strained relations, bloodshed or even open war.

Do:

- Keep the peace while under another Clan's hospitality. By insulting or attacking your hosts' other guests you both embarrass and insult them.

- Keep your hands to yourself. Taking what's not yours spits in the face of the hospitality you are receiving. That includes local women.

- Keep your honour. If severely provoked don't hold back. Should a fight start, try to keep it outside your host's home, as a mark of respect and to avoid misunderstandings.

- Keep your blade sheathed. At times your Clan may invite as guests people who you consider unworthy of such honour. If so, make your Elders or the Chieftain aware of it, but do not take any action on your own. Breaking the Laws of Hospitality by attacking one of our guests is a grave offence, and offenders will be swiftly punished.

Don't:

- Allow insults to go unpunished. All foreigners, no matter their allegiance, are considered guests in Cimmeria. The moment they spit on our hospitality by breaking our laws the best they can hope for is a swift death.

- Embarrass your Clan by drunken and violent behaviour while in another Clan's village.

- Accept requests for duels from foreigners, if they break laws of hospitality by insulting or taunting you. If they do not have the honour to respect their host, they do not have the honour for a fair fight. If such a request is made, it's permissible to lure the dog out of his host's protection and beat some sense into him with a help of a few clansmen.





The following applies only to other Cimmerians. It may be that there are worthy enemies amongst southerners that warrant adherence to the Fir Far. If so, I'm yet to meet them.

-Do not slay Cimmerian wounded or captives. Battles between us are matters of honour, and their is no need to kill a defeated foe.

-When a Kinsman's honour has been insulted, he has the right to request a Duel of Honour. This has to be accepted unless the fight is of a much lower ranked Kinsman with a much more respected one, in example a Chieftain can dismiss a challenge from an Unproven without loss of face. A strong warrior demanding a duel of honour against a youngster, a woman or an elderly Kinsman can expect only ridicule.

-Any Cimmerian warrior has the right to request single combat when outnumbered. In that case same rules apply as in duels of honour between Kinsmen. This can be refused if the enemy has clearly proven himself to be dishonourable and cannot be trusted to fight fairly.

-Those unable to defend themselves are not to be attacked and slain. If your opponent carries a weapon, it is assumed he can defend himself.

-Take captives rather than kill, when possible. Cimmerians may fight each other, but we do not slaughter each other. Blood price may be requested for release of captives.