Reap the Wild Wind, the first novel in the Stratification series, takes us to a far earlier period in the history of the Clan, when they have not yet learned how to manipulate the mysterious power of the M'hir. Instead, they are a people known as the Om'ray, and they are divided into seven widely scattered tribal Clans, each of which must remain in its own allotted portion of Cersi, constrained from advancing beyond a certain point by two other alien races that control far more territory than the Om'ray, and have technological and scientific advantages over them. The Oud claim the plains and the underground while the Tikitik hold sway over the swamplands. All three races coexist based on three inviolate principles. The first is that the world has always been divided this way and must remain so. The second is that Passage - a once in a lifetime, coming-of-age event when individual Om'ray are permitted to trespass over all territorial boundaries in search of a mate - must be honored by both the Oud and the Tikitik. And the final rule is that nothing on Cersi can be allowed to change.Reap the Wild Wind opens at a pivotal moment on Cersi when beings from the worlds of the Trade Pact have begun to explore the planet, upsetting the delicate balance between the three sentient races. It is a time, too, when Aryl Sarc, a young woman of the Yena Clan, is on the verge of discovering and mastering the forbidden secret of the M'hir - a secret that could prove the salvation or ruin of her entire species... Read Less