Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-10T12:40:42Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox:TwilightAgeGroup
|Type = Kin'toni clan
|Name = Tigisa Kin'toni Clan
|Parent Groups = Unknown
|Descended Groups = Unknown
|Areas Controlled = [[On'vesu Dry Forest]]
|Date Founded = 4E 175
|Date Disbanded = N/A
}}

==History==

The Tigisa kin'toni Clan are settlers of the [[On'vesu Dry Forest]]. They have very reclusive habits and have rarely participated in wars and military campaigns throughout their history. Although the true purpose of their creation will never be know, it is fair to assume that it was not for full-scale fighting. Their appear lighter and muscle deprived while also lacking any physical strength. Their presence in Taerel was first noticed by zu'aan villages and towns along the outskirts of the On'vesu dry forest. The Tigisa would carry out small raids along these zu'aan settlements carrying away children and lifestock.

They survived in this way for many years, "turning" the children to become one of them and keeping their population from dying out. The clan's numbers were very limited historically because of their low recruitment rates. They faced many hardships during the period of time knows as the Culling when zu'aan armies began their incursions into the lands. The result was a very har-fought and bitter war that nearly spelled the end of both the zu'aan army and the Tigisa kin'toni Clan. The war was the result of the Tigisa clan unknowingly capturing and turning the daughter of a famous zu'aan champion.

The incident reached the ears of the zu'aan enclave in On'vesu. Who proceded to gather an army and marched on the Tigisa's homeland. The army buned its way throught the forest- destroying the ecosystem and rendering the place uninhabitable. The fires burnt down many of the Tigisa homes along with their occupants who couldn't escape outside in the bright sunlight. The Tigisa began the first ever militarization of their clan as a result of these events. They would come down from their cave systems at night. This was to form raiding bands that would terrorize the zu'aan army with ambushes and sneak attacks.

The conflict dragged on for many years in this manner, with each side dominating during the day or at night. The clan was saved by the news of another kin'toni outbreak to the west that sent the zu'aan armies into panic. It forced the army into a quick withdrawal, thus saving the Tigisa kin'toni Clan from getting obliterated. The event awoke the Tigisa to the urgent requirements of the day. They could no longer go on without a standing army for the sake of their own protection. This started the process of militarization within the formerly reclusive and relatively peaceful Tigisa who began to take a more active part in the politics of the region.

They were still reluctant to engage in open warfare and would instead organize clandestine raids on their opponents. That were meant to demoralize and destroy their supply lines. They became feared for these tactics and no opponent of the Tifisa could sleep peacefully at night, knowing that an army could be lurking in the darkness. Their stronger standing in the world allowed them a more advantageous positions in the diplomatic table. Many zu'aan tribes who settled for peace with theTigisa found them to be a very rational race who had their own moral code.

==Biology==

The Tigisa kin'toni Clan have a weaker physical constitution and are slightly more frail than other kin'toni clans. This is because of their natural adaptation to their surroundings and their way of life. The Tigisa are not particularly tall and most of their members stand at an average five feet seven. This smaller stature helps them navigate around some of the tighter confines of their cave systems. The ability to fit through and wriggle around in tight spaces is paramount to their ability to explore and discover new caves. Finding a safe way to navigate safely underground is one of their priorities.

Since travelling on the surface during the day is out of question for the photosensitive Tigisa. Their bodies are also molded for this role and are generally slender and flexible. They are able to contort their body and joints in abnormal angles to help them find their way underground. Their muscles are concentrated along their upper body due to their constant work chipping away on rocks and building new underground dwellings. The lack of fats in their bodies can be attributed to their diet and their reliance on blood mushrooms instead of real blood for much of their nutrition.

Their alienation from the surface means that the Tigisa kin'toni Clan are very susceptible to diseases from the outside. Their bodies are not adapted to handle diseases and thus a careless contamination can lead to the death of a sizeable fraction of their population. The Tigisa kin'toni Clan have light blue irises with black sclerae and vertical beaded pupils. These eyes are specially adapted to seeing in the dark and are very sensitive to the light. Constant exposure to light can lead to the burning of their cornea- a dangerous phenomenon that can permanently impair their sight or take years to heal.

Their outer ears are pointed upwards and have circular membranes that direct every sound to the interior. This leads to improved hearing and an ability to pick up vibrations along the walls and floors. Their teeth are unsharpened and appear straight which could be a result of their diet and their lack of hunting activity. Their skin is extremely pale and has a very light greyish color that is almost transparent in parts. Veins and arteries may be visible along sections of their arms and legs. The lack of color is a result of the lack of exposure to sunlight in their underground dwellings.

Their bodies are not really adapted for fighting. Their bones are not the hardest or strongest among the kin'toni and their arms and legs cannot be used as weapons without risking a fracture. This makes them all-the-more reliant on weapons for fighting. Their fingers are very well coordinated and can handle a variety of tools with precision. This came from their years of using tools to carve their dwellings and intricate decorations along their cave walls. This helped with their transition to weaponry and allowed them to quickly become proficient in their use.

==Culture==

The Tigisa kin'toni clan were known to be very culturally advanced race who maintained their own distinct practices and habits. Their underground dwellings, deep in the caves of the On'vesu Dry Forest were a reflection of their cultural advancement. They had intricate pictoral writings scribbled on walls and stone slabs that kept a record of events, statues carved out of stone depicting their heroes and dieties and aquifers to bring water to their homes. They were very emotionally attached to their caves and have refused to leave them for centuries, even when faced with annihilation.

They invested more time and care into the development of their living spaces than most clans of the region and never adopted a nomadic lifesstyle like most of the kin'toni. Their cities were complete with facilities for their entertainment- from communal bathing pools to art and graffiti and thetres where they listened to speakers or music. The Tigisa had their own language complete with its own writing form. It was developed from scratch and was thus unique to them and indecipherable for outsiders. It was quite complex and developed with every passing generation, even acquiring its own grammar and structure.

Their interest in language extended to poetry and speeches which were a common form of recreation. The best among them were immortalized on stone inscriptions for future generations. Their culture was very tolerant towards new recruits who were mostly gathered from the surrounding zu'aan villages. The victims were mostly young as the Tigisa wanted to mold young minds that had not been indoctrinated with the ways of the surface world. While these kidnappings were a problem for the zu'aan, the Tigisa simply saw themselves as benevolent actors who were leading these children to better lives.

The "turning" of a new one was celebrated among the entire clan. The arrival of a new generation symbolized the survival of their clan since the Tigisa were not into wars and mass conversion of their captives. These young inititiates were carefully developed throughout their youth and taught the ways of their world. Reading, writing and an ability to communicate was a must before they proceeded to join any of the occupations available inside their caves. The ability to express oneself was very crucial to the Tigisa since every member had to contribute to the functioning of the government through debates and discussions.

Their society was very close-knit and all tasks and possessions were shared comunally. The concept of currency was alien to them since no one expected payment for their work and simply took it as their contribution to society. Religion also played an important role in Tigisa society. A few devoted priests existed within each settlement who's role was to lead the people in the worship of their Gods and to provide some purpose and perspective to their lives. Religious feasts were a common cause for celebration within the community and provided a chance for the residents to showcase their cuisine.

The Tigisa diet consisted of all kinds of cave dwelling creatures. Along with blood mushrooms that were a reliable substitute for blood.

==Government==

The Tigisa culture was condusive to the existence of a very stable and representative goverment. Some of the reasons for this included the existence of a sense of community and harmony among the people, a belief in higher ideas and their higer than average levels of communication and comprehension among the population. Historically, the clan started out as simple communities with no leadership structure or organization. But as time progressed they began to develop concepts for a system that could help them all work efficiently towards a singular goal. Since, they were not a warrior society they were not compelled to choose the strongest or the bravest among them as a leader.

Instead, their leaders were elected on the basis of the clan's trust in him and his personal qualities. The election were large communal events where the entire community gathered on the basis of their chosen candidate.
The person with the largest support would then be elected the leader of the clan. The leader's responsibility extended to all spheres of the clan's activities. he had to be aware of everything around him and be ready to make informed decisions based on the suggestions of his advisors and the people's choices. The Tigisa people were very involved in this process.

And all members were welcomed to offer their own advice and suggestions during their clan meetings. Where they discussed the daily situations and ways to meet upcoming challenges. Debates and speeches were a regular part of these meetings and all citizens were expected to be profductive contributors. Most of the leader's civil responsibilities were centered around the enforcement of the law and coming up with new projects and facilities for the clan. Occasionally he would have to make amendments to the laws when they called for it. But this was a rarity since the clan was satisfied with the current arrangements.

The Tigisa were very forgiving went it came to lawbreakers. The death penalty did not exist since they were very concerned with preserving their numbers. They intended punishments as a way to teach the criminal rather than making him suffer more humiliation- which could potentially lead to exeption. Thus, punishments for breaking laws were relatively mild with exeptions for severe crimes. Such as murdering a fellow clan member, which was followed by an expulsion from the community. One of the rare occasions for the law changes was when the Tigisa engaged in a conflict with the surface zu'aan of the On'vesu Dry Forest.

Having never engaged in large scale war previously, they were completely unprepared for the situation and had to create new laws meant for the recruitment of people into their military. This historical event also saw a rise in his responsibilities as a military leader. He was expected to lead the clan in combat and make strategic war plans. This quick adaptation of roles was largely unsuccessful due to their leader's unfamiliarity with combat and led to the revolution of a new military with its own leadership in the coming years.

==Military==

The Tigisa kin'toni Clan were never known as a military powerhouse throughout their entire existence. This was because of the clan's focus on other aspects of civil life. The closest association to some form of military activity were their stealthy raiding bands who were tasked with kidnapping young zu'aan from their neighboring settlements. These parties were recruited from among the fittest in their clan and were known for both their stamina and legendary stealthiness. Operating at night, they were technically invisible to the naked eye because of a mix of their ability to blend in with the terrain.

Along with their fast and graceful movements that mimicked the effect of leaves blowing in the wind. The military inadequacies were exposed during their conflicts with the neighboring zu'aan clans who began to take exception to their kidnappings. The inciting incident was the kidnapping of a champions daughter. Who happened to have a high standing among the local zu'aan rulers. A coalition was formed to eradicate the Tigisa once and for all. They were partially successfull in destroying many Tigisa settlements while setting their lands on fire. This drove many of the Tigisa further underground and forced them to militarize as a means of survival.

The first step in this process was the creation of a dedicated chain of military command. That was separate from their regular leadership. This included a council of Generals who were retrained to study military strategies of the surface world and come up with effective counters in battle. New laws were drafted for the recruitment of armies from among the clan. Although unpopular, their situation had grown so dire that the population was willing to acccept any strategy that would help alleviate their entrapment. The new army was based on similar lines as their raiding units.

They prioritized stealth and operated exclusively at night when their eyes and body were tuned to maximum efficiency. Their weapons were a mix of zu'aan arnaments that were looted from supply carts. The army was able to mitigate the clan's losses to a degree but were saved by a kin'toni outbreak elsewhere that forced the zu'aan to divert their forces elsewhere. The war gave the army a chace to showcase its skills and speciality which were their high degree of effectiveness at night operations and clandestine operations. Their small formations meant that they were hard to track.

And resulted in low casualties on their side since they could disappear back into the environment when required. The war also exposed them to a lot of the battle tactics of the surface world and gave them a reliable sample size of examples to review and improve upon in the future. Elsewhere, their unfamiliarity with combat was also visible in their inabilty to maintain and coordinate large formations for either attack or defense. This served as a wake up call for the entire clan who would proceed in the future with an eye on self defense and maintaining a competant military that could thwart their enemies attacks.

As well as dissuade any opponents from attacking them.

==Religion==

The Tigisa kin'toni Clan practiced a regligion known as Chrin. Their religion was a mix of animism and ancestral worship and had its origins in the early, founding days of the clan when they were still in wonder of the world around them. They observed and carved tiny miniature sculptures of the things around them, which they worship as the spirit within all creation. The Tigisa maintained very lax religious customs and the people were free to choose their methods of worship. There was a communal aspect to their belief but is was not strictly enforced on anyonne. The Tigisa kin'toni Clan's religion was closely linked to the development of their art and culture.

They expresses their reverence of the spirit around them through artwarks on cave walls, detailing inctricate sceneries and scenes. The art would develop with time and become even more complex. The feat was even more admirable because the clan were yet to discover iron and had to make do with simple flint and stone tools. These rudimentary tools where behind some of their greatest works such as the carving of a female Tigisa figure deep in the heart of the On'vesu Dry Forest. The clan had several religious figures who were mostly responsible for raising their initiates in the way of their world.

This included teachings on the history of the clan, their beliefs and instilling in them a respect for their culture. His responsibilities stopped once the initiate became a full time member of the clan. Each person was responsible for conducting themselves in a manner befitting of what they had been taught. Their religion was responsible for the peaceful climate within their cities. It fostered a sense of community and individual responsibility and directly inspired their governament systems and social lives where each members input was considered and respected.

Their religion also encouraged a very tolerant attitude within the population. Lawbreakers were not subject to anger or harm but the clan would instead employ all methods to reform them and make them learn from their mistakes. Although their civil society gained a lot from the region it also had its own dark side. The peace and disregard for violence that was associated with the religion led to the underdevelopment of a reliable military that could protect them. Their religion received a bitter taste of the realities of the world during their war with the surface zu'aan.

The people who still stuck to their beliefs were hesitant to consider a military force, even when faced with zu'aan attacks. The creation of their new army had to be forced on them and broke many old stigma's within their religion. As a result, generations coming up after the war began to take a more dismissive approach towards religion. Instead favoring a more violent approach that relied on the existence of their own military for defense. With the passage of time, a healthy balance was reached between utter ignorance of the clan's military needs and the adoption of total violence.

Their religion did not die out but found support and became a source of pride and unifier, even among their armies.

==Miscellany==

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

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.freelancer.in/u/Jangou Jangou]
| Holder = Jangou S
}}

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

Tigisa Kin'toni Clan - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)