This text was originally supposed to go into 2.2b as a pop-up detailing the Sauromatian Bala system in EB II. Since the Faction Coordinator (Arjos) thought it was too much of a spoiler regarding the internal workings of the system, only the the history section made it in and it was decided to post this as a separate guide, with a few edits to fit the new format. If you (the reader) want to remain 'unspoiled' as to how these mechanics work and want to discover these things for yourself, you have the option to stop reading after finishing the history section. Hope this is helpful.
History:
Specific to the Skythian and Sauromatian cultures was, since their earliest times, the custom of the Bala. This was an expedition of assembled young men, under the command of aristocratic youths, who left their families and goods behind to go on long and distant raids. Indications of such activities can be found in the accounts of both Herodotos and Pompeivs Trogvs, as well as in direct mentions of the Bala as a social institution preserved in Ossetian epics.
It was during the Bala that youths became men and learnt to operate as a unit of companions, obeying direct orders as an efficient military force. Keeping in mind Chinese accounts of how every child learnt to ride and shoot from the age of three, individualistic skills were acquired by the age of fifteen, but what is missing from these reports, which state how every man and woman between the age of fifteen and thirty was capable of serving as a horseman, are coordinated unit skills.
In the epics, stolen cattle were driven to the plain of distribution after a lengthy Bala, where the raiders were welcomed with feasting and, as befitted the name of the place, a communal division of the loot took place. To reach the highest rank in the warrior class, a man had to participate in three Bala: one of one year, one of three years and one of seven years. Shorter raids or social enterprises occurred constantly in between, but those three specific periods marked defining moments in the lives of nomadic warriors.
The first Bala was the necessary initiation to become an adult and be able to marry, while the longest one of seven years was considered a great honour, of which only the best warriors were capable. An interesting feature was that if the men did not return within the seven years, they were considered dead, and after a year of mourning the women were free to remarry and even encouraged to do so.
Gameplay:
Since the first Bala is a prerequisite for becoming an adult, all young Sauromatian family members in EB II have a trait depicting that they have partaken in this rite of passage. This grants them the right to marry and a youth choosing to marry young may gain the hand of the daughter of a rich man. This is likely to make him better with money, but his kinsmen will mock his way of life as un-Sauromatian, since he won't go out to lead raids anymore. More importantly, marrying into a rich family will disable the option to win fame in further Bala.
If a young Sauromatian noble chooses to follow the traditional path, he will be expected to embark on his second Bala shortly after becoming an adult. This will be represented by his trait changing to notify the player that he is expected to set out on his raiding expedition. To do so, he must leave whatever settlement he may be in and move towards hostile territory, preferably in command of other troops. Failure to leave a settlement within three turns will see him scorned as un-Sauromatian as well, again disabling the option of setting out on any further Bala.
The second Bala truly begins once the young noble has left his homelands and has entered enemy territory. To succeed, he must either raid these foreign lands, represented by the causing of devastation (the black corruption visible on the campaign map), or pillage a foreign settlement (represented by either sacking or enslaving it). If this is successfully done and a year has passed since he left, the Sauromatian character will gain a new trait for his prowess, as well as a special title the turn thereafter. He also has a chance of gaining various positive traits related to command.
For those nobles for whom this is not enough of an achievement, a final option will become several years later. If such a man has children and is at least 26 years of age, he may set off on a final Bala by moving into enemy lands once more. The final Bala will be an impressive challenge, since its completion requires the pillaging of several settlements and the raiding of many enemy lands. There will be no rest for the Sauromatian leader, for staying in settlements for three turns will end the Bala. This will bring him no shame though, for having completed two Bala is already an achievement worthy of praise.
EDIT: Certain parts of this tutorial might currently not work as intended, due to a certain trait trigger proving to actually be non-functional.