Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-10T12:40:38Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox:TwilightAgeGroup
|Type = Kin'toni clan
|Name = Larale Kin'toni Clan
|Parent Groups = Unknown
|Descended Groups = Unknown
|Areas Controlled = [[Xarlaitelan Wooded Hills]]
|Date Founded = 4E 125
|Date Disbanded = N/A
}}

==History==

The Larale kin’toni clan was founded in the old forested hills of [[Xarlaitelan Wooded Hills]] by the three sisters Mavera, Morgalith, and Minia when they turned a caravan of zu’aan heading for one of the city strongholds. The sisters had offered them shelter and food for their journey. But when the zu’aan entered the tower ruins that the sisters had made their home, they were set upon by the three kin’toni and turned into new kin’toni to be the start of the clan. They began wandering the woods at night and singing to attract the attention of passing travelers to feed upon and grow their ranks.

Initially only the fairest and those who could sing went out to draw their prey to their weathered tower, but over the years the entire clan developed lovely features and a lilting voice and thus became capable of hunting freely without needing to return to the tower until day break. As time went on their numbers grew but they also learned that they were attracting the attention of the other clans. Two in particular looked at them with interest: a mining and smithing oriented clan from within the mountains to the north of their forest, and a plains roaming military clan to their west.

The miners were interested in trading and offered to repair the tower and arm them in exchange for other resources. They entered into an alliance with the Larale clan that looked to be beneficial for them both. However the military clan from the western plains only sought to get the resources and the land through expansion and combat. If the Larale didn’t act quickly and wisely, their home would have been been lost to them. The sisters turned to their new allies to grant them the tools to fight against their attackers. When the enemy clan arrived they were met with quiet emptiness as they entered the forest.

The army slowly swept into the forest, wary of any possible attack. They reached the tower and found it abandoned. Only then did the invaders relax, and it was then that the Larale decided to attack. Arrows and spears tipped with crude iron flew from above the army followed by descending Larale kin’toni with long bladed spears to surprise and overtake the enemy. The battle was brutal and bathed the surrounding trees in blood, but the outcome had been known as soon as the arrows had begun falling. In the end most of the invaders were dead and the rest fled to the safety of their own territory.

The Larale gave most of the scavenged armour and weapons to their allies to use in their smithing and used what they kept to set traps and markers that made the forest look unfriendly to the other clans. This had the added benefit of seeming potentially safe for any zu’aan that was trying to escape the blood thirsty clans. The Larale found more than enough prey eager to enter their woods and seeking safety and food for the road.

==Psychology==

==Biology==

The Larale kin’toni clan all have eyes with black star shaped pupils within emerald green irises and orange sclera. Their sense of sight isn’t much better than that of a zu’aan however they see the same amount no matter the lighting. The main boosted sense is that of their hearing which may be due to their enlongated ears. From the middle of the forest a single Larale can hear if someone is approaching their borders. They were able to focus on a single sound at great distances, which helps with their chosen form of martial warfare.

However it always makes them susceptible to sudden changes in volume. This causes them to be stunned and dazed from the auditory overload. Also they are unable to move when taking the time to focus on a single sound and the ability causes all other sounds to go unheard which leaves them vulnerable to a sneak attack if not careful. Their sense of touch is sensitive but not overly heightened. Their sense of smell is nearly entirely dulled and thus any smells that could hint at danger is often missed. The same is true of their sense of taste.

They can barely taste anything besides the rotted sweetness of the blood they drink. A poison would be utterly missed until it’s effects took hold. Because of this they rarely eat anything offered to them from anyone, including each other.They stand at a forth of a head taller than most zu’aan and are lithe and athletic in their musculature. Their fair lovely body is tinged in pale green that gives them a haunting beauty and when paired with their different shades of brown hair cause them to look much like part of the forest itself. This aids them being missed by those who pass through their forest.

They are most comfortable in the very middle of their temperate zone weather. They often refuse to leave their tower during the cold of winter or the hottest days of summer, and will keep zu’aan alive and healthy in order to survive without hunting. They have long limbs and are often considered more graceful than fast or strong, using their skill with arrows and spears to protect them from attacks they can’t dodge past. This grace isn’t that of a true dance of death in combat, but rather almost looks like they can move like swaying trees.

Sharp aquiline features with full lips hide the razor sharp teeth that line their mouth. So much like the flowers that now bear their clan name, their appealing figures serve to hide the dangerous carnivore within. Their vocal chords are fine tuned to sound lovely to all who hear them sing. Though not enough to actually draw people in without question and not capable of causing a resting state, they can use their voice to catch the attention of their prey and then use their beauty to entice the zu’aan to come and embrace the Larale who called to them.

==Culture==

Living in the ruins of a great tower deep within the woods, the Larale kin’toni clan built a culture based around the lie of their appearance. Each of them have a room within the tower which only looks ruined. Their allies had made it possible for them to fix the necessary damage to make the building liveable while appearing to be crumbling. Each clan member wears cloth and fabric outfits that resemble elegant noble’s clothes from the zu’aan tribes. They use these outfits to set the fears of their prey at ease while they lure them into their trap.

The interior of the tower is built to allow for many people to reside within while making it cramped when moving about the different floors. The Larale decorated the tower to appear lavish and inviting to the zu’aan they bring to dinner. They have done such a good job that the ones kept for the winter are often unaware of the danger all around them until the first draining occurs. The clan utilised the structure of the tower to implement a hierarchy within their ranks. The first several floors are used for the military troops and the least of the clan who act as servants to the upper classes.

The middle floors are for the military officers and common nobility who are often the ones who hunt nightly for prey and pleasure. The majority of the upper floors except for the very top one were set aside for the upper nobility who took their role very seriously and often are spent their time in pure revelry and decadence. The very top of the tower is reserved for the three sisters who are called the Queens of the Forest who spend their lives playing games of wit and cunning with each other using the lives of all who enter or reside within their domain.

They view everyone else in the world as below them and their property and toys to play with. To everyone else they appear of equal status and power and at least outwardly in unison. Amongst each other however, they are constantly competing to prove who is the most capable. Their ranks have shifted many times over the years but they refuse to accept any victory unless they were to end up the only queen left. However they also refuse to accept the responsibility to attack each other with lethal force.

Instead they control factions within their clan and manipulate them to do subversive battle to see who is the most effective at the art of control. It is rumoured amongst the servants that this competition was what started the clan to begin with. It was one such manipulation that drew the attention of the army of invaders as well as their mountain dwelling allies. And it was the third sister who settled it by using the work of the others to create a perfect scenario that sent a message to the rest of the clans, “Leave us be or die.”

==Government==

The Larale clan is controlled by a triumvirate monarchy of the three sisters. The Queens of the Forest rule over their domain with ever-shifting rules and tasks that force the others in the clan to give them nearly all authority. In everything, the highest orders in the clan were from one of the Queens, and only another Queen was able to counter such an order. They often use such official actions only as a last resort. Instead, they use subversive orders given in unofficial ways to test their underlings and see who of the Queens is the most clever.

Outside of military service, no one else in the clan has any real power or authority. The social hierarchy offers the only other way that a semblance of authority is given to the different classes of nobles because they view their titles as rank amongst each other. However, they can not truly order each other around except for the lowly servants who are often the youngest of the clan. Ironically in the eyes of the Queens, the servants are the only other ones who have a bit of power because they are still young enough to not be conditioned by the social structure.

They could rebel if they ever thought to do so. To prevent this from occurring, the Queens use the servants to do much of their more subversive plots and reward them with praise and the choice weapons of each new shipment from the mountains. This gains the Queens the loyalty of the one group that isn't yet trapped in the mechanisms of the larger game. There are very few stable laws as, in the Queens’ opinion, the more rules the less fun the game. And so they only have three stable laws while everything else is left to the whims of the Queens.

The first law is “harm no member.” This is the most important law they have. No matter what happens. No matter the dispute. And no matter who is making the choice. They are not allowed to cause any physical harm to another member of the clan. This was created to prevent the Queens from deciding not to play the game and instead kill her sisters. It gave the added benefit of preventing a violent uprising against the manipulative Queens. The second law is “take only what is needed, waste nothing.” This is in regards to hunting and is pretty straight forward.

They rarely kill unless absolutely necessary. Instead they draw in their victims and feed on them till they are full and then turning them. And they spare those caught before the cold of winter so they have food to last the season. The third law is “never restart.” This is particularly for the Queens. This rule means that they cannot clear the board and start anew in any game. Instead, they are forced to go off the last move from the last battle of wits. This keeps them for having it easy whenever they start a new battle.

==Military==

The Larale clan has a large standing military that is the chosen profession of a third of the clan members. Though the Queens are the absolute power and authority in the clan, they rarely concern themselves with the aspects of the military outside the orders to go and fight when they are about to be attacked. This has caused the military to become a self contained government in its own right. They are specifically trained in the use of spears and long bows to accommodate the terrain of their home. They also use the forest to hide and track their adversaries.

Due to the social hierarchy the leaders of the military are called lord commander instead of general. They are the only members of the high nobility to not embrace sheer frivolity and as a result can be colder and angrier than the rest of the clan. They take their job very seriously and are suspicious of all other kin’toni clans including their supposed allies. They coordinate the flow and strategies of any martial engagements and give out the primary orders to be followed. While they hold a great deal of power in their own small world, the lord commanders are never a part of the Queens’ schemes.

They are terrified that they will upset their founders and be replaced on a whim. Below the lord commanders are the lieutenants, and each lord commander has at least three lieutenants who follow their orders without fail. These lieutenants pass along the orders to the rest of the troops and are often used to carry out special tasks at the request of the lord commanders. They orchestrate how to have others killed in battle without being the one causing harm. They are often the lowest of the high nobles or the highest of the mid nobility, but either way they tend to view themselves as completely above those around them.

They often don’t share their superiors’ wariness, but it’s out of the idea that no one can match them in military might. They often only get upset when their orders aren’t immediately obeyed without question. It is often said that the easiest way to disappear is to upset a lieutenant. Just under the lieutenants are the captains. These officers are the protective shield between the regular spear wielding infantry and archers, and the vain aggression of the lieutenants. They specifically look after the training of their troops and make sure they know every possible order they could be given and the signal for each of them.

This allows for them to use inaudible communication with their soldiers during ambushes and other stealth operations. They often are wary of the plots and tricks of the lieutenants and will do whatever they have to in order to protect their troops and achieve victory. Often the captains will sacrifice themselves in order to save their warriors from certain death. Such actions led to a saying amongst the clan, “Victory takes a captain’s courage and resolve.”

==Religion==

The Larale Clan follow the teachings of their three Queens. They teach of the goddess Siehd, personification of the beauty of summer and the purveyor of fate. They are taught that it was Siehd that created them in her own image and that those they kill are gifts for her and their power and status are gifts from Siehd, who directs the Queens. They believe Siehd will rescue them in the final days of the world and lead them to a place of endless summer. They think that the cold and all those who live where it’s cold are cursed and seek to destroy them all.

It is not known if this is due to stories of some of the clans that live in the far off frozen lands being distorted into things of nightmares, or if it is simply because winter tends to be the lean hunting times. Either way, anything cold is considered to be against Siehd and the Queens. They believe fire is a gift of Siehd but also a weapon to be respected and used with caution. According to their stories, the Queens were born of fire and granted their authority and the clan when Siehd desired to have people to serve her and share the wonders of her beauty.

The Queens are deemed not only royal but holy, though due to their machinations they are worshipped separately. Often the way to tell who a clan member served could be divined by the positioning of names in any prayers overhead. The Queens themselves claim that their orders and decisions are directly given to them by Siehd who is off dealing with more important matters in the world unseen. They pass favour on those who are loyal and disloyal alike and call it the blessing of Siehd. They said Siehd fought monstrosities in the darkness that long to bring ice and death to the world.

One day they believe the armies Siehd fought would make it to the world, and Siehd would only defeat them afterwards. For that day they wait and grow and pray the Queens would allow them to ascend. They believe that there is no luck or skill and that anything that happens to them is the will of Siehd as their fate. Death is meaningless to them except as the result of Siehd stating it must be so, often as punishment for apparent disloyalty. Those of them who met such fate were considered to be cursed to be devoured by the monstrosities Siehd fought, though some also believe the worst of their disloyal dead would become the monstrosities.

To avoid this they obey as best they can and listen to everything the Queens tell them without question. They believe that through their service to the clan and more importantly to the Queens, they stand a chance to be elevated in Siehd’s opinion. That such will mean they are likely to be granted the greatest life when Siehd takes them to the Next World.

==Miscellany==

{{NearbyGroups
| Centre = {{PAGENAME}}
| North = Unknown
| Northeast = Unknown
| East = Unknown
| Southeast = Unknown
| South = Unknown
| Southwest = Unknown
| West = Unknown
| Northwest = Unknown
}}

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.fiverr.com/xoishtar xoishtar]
| Holder = xoishtar
}}

[[Category:2nd-century Twilight Age kin'toni clans]]
[[Category:xoishtar's contributions]]

Larale Kin'toni Clan - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)