Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-10T12:40:57Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox:TwilightAgeGroup
|Type = Kin'toni clan
|Name = Uskaw Kin'toni Clan
|Parent Groups = Unknown
|Descended Groups = Unknown
|Areas Controlled = [[Zalrel Ancient Forest]]
|Date Founded = 4E 201
|Date Disbanded = N/A
}}

==History==

==Biology==

The Uskaw clan varies in biology from faction to faction. To begin with, the forest dwelling faction have adapted over time to better survive the perils of the ancient forest. They are lean, but muscled, and incredibly fast. They leap lightly from tree to tree, running along the boughs of the massive trees of the ancient forest. Their claws are sharp and hooked to allow them to grab onto and sink into the bark of the trees, and to help them grip their prey and prevent their escape. They tend to have long, flowing hair, usually dark in colour, and have high cheekbones and slitted eyes.

They are tall and thin, with long legs and arms. The two city dwelling factions are more similar, but still have differences. The eastern faction is more heavy set, with large powerful muscles, and huge hands and feet. They are immensely physically strong, though slow, and not very intelligent. Their hair does not grow very long, and the face is round and wide, though not fat. The western faction is small, very short with small arms. They are better built for city life, squeezing through small groups in the rubble and reaching in small spaces to find supplies.

Their arms and legs are spindly and thin, almost skeletal, though their grip is surprisingly strong. The claws are sharp and tough, perfect for slashing and cutting. They are quick and nimble, and their small size means they require less blood and less food than the other two factions. They grow no hair at all, and have sunken cheeks, with large, wide eyes that see perfectly in the dark. All three clans also have similarities though. Though the shape of the eyes varies, they share the same traits of pink irises, black sclera and vertically beaded pupils.

They also all have approximately the same level of intelligence. Uskaw kin’toni are only moderately intelligent, incapable of complex actions, but not as reduced as beasts and non humanoids. They all share the traits of enhanced strength and speed, though the eastern faction strength is above and beyond the rest of the clan, and the forest faction’s speed is above the average. They have quite dark skin, in order to blend in with the shadows of the ancient forest. Their skin is pigmented to be a dark brown, though the western faction is lighter.

This is due to the amount of time they spend undercover in the ruins away from the sun, and the forest faction is slightly darker. The changes between the factions took time to develop, but were always present. From the time where the clan was united, these differences were vague and barely noticeable, but since the split, the various differing traits became more prominent, enhanced, and they factions began to look different from one another.

==Culture==

The clan as a whole does not share very much culturally, and each faction is relatively unique. The forest faction are far more peaceful than the rest of the clan. They prefer to avoid violence, and see it as a very serious matter if anyone is forced to pick up a weapon and turn it against another member of their faction. This faction is also quite friendly, with strong familial bonds between the kin’toni. They see the whole faction as being part of the same family, and care for and help one another. The forest faction kin’toni have a fascination with art and painting.

Over the years they have learnt to grind up the flowers of the ancient forest and create a form of paint. They then use this paint to create images on the bark and leaves of the trees and memorize the history of the clan as a whole, and their faction in particular. These paintings are bright and colourful, and over time have become more and more expertly done. The kin’toni are very proud of their skill in painting and will show of their work to other members of the action, or even the other factions if they were to meet for any reason. The western faction, on the other hand, do not care about each other at all.

They live in a culture of “survival of the fittest”, and will not assist each other unless it is truly necessary. They believe that if you cannot survive on your own and prove yourself, there is no reason to keep you alive and waste resources on you. They only remain as a single faction because they recognise that many strong kin’toni together can achieve much. They do not care about art or music in any form, and find it a waste of time. They spend their days in the city, hunting for rodents and wildlife among the buildings that they can hunt and feed off of.

They are far more war-like than the forest clan, and make extensive use of weapons for hunting and combat, and spend a great deal of time in combat and physical training. The eastern faction has similarities to both the forest and western factions. They are very warlike, similar to the western faction, but have strong bonds within the faction, similar to the forest faction. They do not see each other as a family, but rather as one unified army. A lot of their culture and behaviour is surrounding the idea of a military and the unity it brings.

This faction finds it very important to stay neat and clean, and it has become ingrained in them to wash themselves daily. They are tightly bonded, and will fight to the death for one another. They stay together in small units, and work as one group on everything, always ensuring every member of the faction is fed, watered, and healthy. The original unified Uskaw clan did have a singular culture, but after the splintering and creation of factions, each group adjusted to follow their own traditions and methods.

==Government==

Before the clan split into separate factions, they were led by a singular, unified council who instituted laws and enforced them for the good of the whole clan. For a long time this system remained in place, and was very effective at keeping the clan at peace. But when the war broke out, and the clan splintered into factions, each faction began a new form of government to lead their people. The forest faction does not have a singular leader, but rather make decisions as a group. They respect age, and so the older kin’toni’s opinions often hold more sway.

But all major decisions are still made as a group. They do not have a set system of laws, but rather have a simplistic moral code built into their cultural identity which defines what warrants punishment or reviewing. This includes basic things like stealing or mistreating one another, but is particularly geared towards violence. This faction particularly hates unnecessary violence, and if any kin’toni of this faction were to needlessly lift a weapon towards or harm another member of the faction, they risk being exiled permanently or given heavy labour duties to atone for their misdeed.

The western faction does not follow any laws or government. Instead, they work on a very simple concept: the strong lead, the weak follow. They do not have a singular leader, but rather just obey any commands made by those more powerful than them. This does mean that the faction can be very chaotic. Kin’toni of similar standing and reputation will often fight or test their strength in an attempt to win a better placed position and have more control. This also leads to a lot of inconsistencies in the way the faction runs. Some kin’toni who take charge will make the faction attack their enemies, while others might withdraw.

The constant changing and fighting of the western faction’s leadership means that the faction is never well organized. They do not follow proper laws. You can kill, injure, rob, or hurt anyone, as long as you are strong enough to do it and remain above them. The eastern faction is very well organized and led in a formal arrangement of leaders. Due to their more military ways, this faction tends to have very well organized ranks that are always followed. They are led by a singular kin’toni in the position that would be named the general in a zu’aan army.

They then appoint various others to serve underneath them in pseudo military arrangements that decrease in importance. This leader institutes laws and ensures they are followed. These laws vary, but are rather typical, banning fighting within the ranks, ensuring everyone is treated equally, preventing any member from mistreating another, and ensuring the equal distribution of food and resources. It is not clear why this faction follows such a strict, formal arrangement so similar to zu’aan militaries, but it is possible that many of this faction were part of the army before they turned.

And though they lost specific memories, still retained their instinct to follow these ways.

==Military==

The military capabilities and sensibilities of each faction vary greatly. Before the clan splintered into factions, they did not have a true military. They had weaponry, and some soldiers, but no formal army or training for combat. When each faction split off to be independent, they changed this culture in different ways. The forest faction remained without a true army or military presence. They disliked violence, and so did not train soldiers or practice for combat. They did make use of stone weapons, but these were used only for hunting.

They used bows and simple stone knives and swords to take down their prey and gather food, but very rarely used them in true combat. The only time this faction ever took part in a true war was when the three factions united to drive out an enemy clan, and even at this time they did their best to do as little killing as possible. The western faction too does not have a proper army or military, but they are far more combat capable. Constant infighting and fighting against the eastern has honed their combat ability and made them a force to be feared.

Though they do not organize into an army, they fight as one, harrying and overwhelming their foes. Their small size and great speed makes them a very difficult target to hit on the battlefield, and they have extensive knowledge of the various nooks and crannies of the city, allowing them to hide and strike from the shadows, defeating their foes before their presence is even known. They make use of small stone knives, and leather slings. This allows them to get close with their enemies and injure them greatly with craft stabs. The more intelligent and dangerous members of the faction have learnt to craft themselves primitive leather armor.

Making them even more dangerous than the rest of the faction. The eastern faction as a whole is an organized, formal army. Every member of this faction is armed and trained for combat, and have made an effort to learn tactics and intelligent battle strategies. The leader of the faction has learnt how to cleverly deploy their forces to make use of their strengths and defend their weaknesses. This faction has various weapons. The most common weapon used by these kin’toni are large stone hammers. The immense strength of the kin’toni of this faction is such that they can swing their hammers with immense force.

Using them to devastating effect on the battlefield. They also make use of stone swords, sharpened and used to great effect by well trained fighters. They have learnt the basics of armor, and have used the city to great effect. Over time they have scavenged many materials and useful items from the ruins around them, and used them to cobble together primitive armor. All these factors combined makes the eastern faction a powerful force to be reckoned with.

==Religion==

Before the clan split, they had a primitive form of religion. Whilst they did not have preachers or teachers of religion, they did follow a god, the great spirit of the world. They did not have a name for this spirit, and would only refer or pray to it indirectly, believing it to be disrespectful to directly address the great spirit. When the clan split into the three factions, these beliefs changed. They all stemmed from this base, but did not follow the same system, and none of them followed the original beliefs. The forest faction retreated to the forest as they believed the spirit would be impressed by their humility.

They thought that abandoning the luxury of the city for the simplicity of life in the wild would impress the spirit and earn them it’s favour. They believe that the spirit is unhappy with violence, and this is what leads them to try and avoid combat as much as is possible. They try to live in peace and serve the spirit by keeping as peaceful as possible. The western faction believes in another variance of the following of the great spirit. They are less peace loving than the forest faction, and do not think the spirit wants them to live quietly.

They believe that the spirit chose them for dominance, and that it is their right to rule the city and take control. To this end, they attempt to win control of the city by attacking the eastern faction periodically till they can take total power of the city. They think that the great spirit will only truly bless those who are strong, and so they strive to be strong in everything and earn their place in control. The eastern faction does not believe in the peace that the forest faction seek, but are also less chaotic than their western faction enemies.

They believe that the true wishes of the great spirit is for order and control, and it is to this end that they attempt to keep their ranks tidy and well ordered. They believe that this is their goal, that they must make the whole ancient forest neat and ordered, and force the world to make sense, as they believe the great spirit always wishes. This is why they fight the western faction. They see them as representing pure chaos, and wish to defeat them and take the whole city so they can make it ordered and in control, as it should be.

They are not in conflict with the forest faction, as they see them as being still controlled and ordered, if not completely tidy and in control. Though they all stem from the same starting religion, and refer to their god in the same way, each religion is unique. Though they have similarities, they are also completely different. To an outsider viewer, each religion is actually completely different, and it is only the clan themselves that are aware of how their religions intersect and originated together.

==Miscellany==

The three factions of the Uskaw clan all speak the same language. Though each faction has some variance to the grammar and manner in which they speak, the base language they all use is the same. Though this language is not extremely complex, it is still a cultured, developed tongue. They do not know how to write or read, though the forest faction is capable of creating art and painting. The factions are able to speak and communicate when necessary, though inter-faction contact is limited. Each faction of the clan has slightly different clothing.

The forest faction wears mostly leather clothes from the animals they hunt, the eastern faction mainly wears clothes of scavenged cloth combined with primitive armor, and the western clan does not use much clothing beyond rags and scraps that barely cover or conceal them. They also eat different foods. The forest faction hunt for meat in the forest and gather various fruits, nuts and berries, as well as drinking the blood of the animals they prey on. The eastern faction at times sends hunters to catch meat as well, and too scavenge in the city for any food.

They do not have ready access to blood, and will take it from any source they can. The western faction is the most bestial and savage in their eating habits. They scavenge the city for rats and rodents, and do not care about the quality of the food they eat in the slightest. There is very little zu’aan presence in the city, but in the ancient forest as a whole, the zu’aan are not totally uncommon. With the forest faction being non-violent, they rarely attack zu’aan, and the other factions rarely travel far from the city. Because of this, zu’aan nomadic tribes can at times be found passing through the ancient forest.

At these times, the militaristic eastern faction will occasionally send a few chosen members to feed and have some zu’aan blood, and it is seen as a high honour to be chosen to be part of the zu’aan feeding party. The city that the eastern and western factions fight over is completely in ruins. Before the arrival of the kin’toni, it was a respectable city, but since the kin’toni occupation and the clan split, the city has become more and more damaged to the point that few buildings still stand. The eastern faction has, over time, attempted to repair some of the damaged buildings as much as they can in order to make use of them.

They have been partially successful, and have a few buildings steady enough for use. The western faction is too primitive to care about buildings, and simply scavenge the ruins, and the forest faction rarely enter the city, and have rather constructed homes in the forest among the trees and in the branches. Though the clan originated as one, the factions rarely interact, beyond the periodic clashes of the east and west factions. They are willing to cooperate, but only under the most dire of circumstances, and so are often not considered a true kin’toni clan, but rather just three small settlements living near one another.

{{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/andrewjdavies52 Andrew Davies]
| Holder = Andrew Davies
}}

[[Category:3rd-century Twilight Age kin'toni clans]]
[[Category:Andrew Davies's contributions]]

Uskaw Kin'toni Clan - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)