Xildun Kin'toni Clan

History

The Xildun kin'toni Clan were inhabitants of the Zarak Snowy Coniferous Forest. Their clan was founded by a charismatic kin'toni named Kinbanech from among the barbaric races of the Zarak forests. Their founder was a visionary among the warring kin'toni tribes of the region who fought over all sorts of petty problems. These mini-conflicts were a source of many deaths within the kin'toni and prevented them from becoming a power and establishing themselves in the area. Worse of all, the zu'aan enclaves of the region would take advantage of these disputes and disagreements.

To pit one side against another and strengthen their own hold of the region. Kinbanech was the first kin'toni to see through the zu'aan's plans and realize the folly of the kin'toni. The tribes of the region were wild, tribalistic societies who responded to power and domination. It was impossible to convince them through dialogue, as Kinbanech would learn the hard way. His words and pleadings fell on deaf ears and the kin'toni's position in the Zarak would grow more precarious by the day. The casualty rates of their conflicts was starting to set them up for extinction.

Recognizing the need of the hour, Kinbanech would form the Xildun kin'toni clan from among a handful of his survivors. This motivated group would go on to attack and subjugate many of the kin'toni tribes of the region and bring them under the clan. This was the only effective way to stop all the infighting going on within the region. The clan's membership would grow quickly as their armies rampaged through the region- defeating then uniting the kin'toni under their banner. Seeing his success and power the weaker tribes would willingly join his plan.

And complete the reversal of fortunes for the kin'toni of the region. The unification spelled the end of all kin'toni conflicts in the Zarak and put them in a position where they could no longer be manipulated by the zu'aan. They were the next target of the Xildun kin'toni Clan. Kinbanech had a lifelong hatred for them and their devious methods of war and diplomacy. He embarked on many large sieges of their fortresses and enclaves many of which ended in failure but served as a reminder to the zu'aan that they were no longer in control of the region.

The clan's actions would force some of the biggest enclaves to negotiate for peace with the kin'toni by offering tributes and sacrificial captives to be converted into kin'toni. The clan would adopt this arrangement with the zu'aan which was beneficial to both sides since it provided their clan with new recruits and gave the zu'aan the peace that they desired. New boundary lines were drawn and the Zarak forest would come under the sole ownership of the Xildun kin'toni clan. The zu'aan were not allowed to wander from an agreed limit outside their enclaves.

And any tribe found in violation of these orders were swiftly punished with war. This would become the way of life of the Xildun that was maintained by successive generations, long after Kinbanech's death.

Biology

The Xildun kin'toni most distinctive physical feature were their large muscular legs that were shaped like a horse's hind leg. These powerful limbs gave them an outstanding leaping ability as well as speed for short sprints. They were practically untouchable when in full sprint. The ends of their feet were occupied by large five inch talons that were commonly used to attack enemies or for chopping up their prey. The talons were made of very resilient bone and had nerve endings on the insides. They were sharpened by constant grinding and rubbing against rough surfaces such as rocks and flint. It served as a handy tool for both attack and defense.

When the Xildun were not using their primary weapons. The length of their legs was disaproportionately longer than their upper body and arms . Their fast metabolism allowed them to maintain very slim figures that were heavily defined with muscles. They trained their upper bodies for strength- in order to wield the various kinds of heavy weaponry that they scavenged off the field. Their stamina was a little lacking and they were unsuited to long and strenous work. The Xildun had an average height of over six and a half feet and weigh in at around four hundred pounds- largely as a result of their dense bone mass.

They used the massive weight of their limbs to their advantage during battles by pummelling enemies into submission. Their bodies were covered in a substantial layer of fat and fur that kept them insulated during the coldest winter months. The level of fat in their bodies would vary according to the seasons. They were lighter and thinner during the summers when they required lesser insulation. They would build up their fat layer through constant feeding once the season began to change. The Xildun Kin'toni had a bluish tint to their skin that was covered with a thin layer of white fur.

Their head had this same covering of white fur which rarely exceeded more than a couple of inches in length. Their faces were smooth and unwrinkled and remained so for the entirety of their lives. Their eyes were squinted they had Orange irises with white sclerae and vertical beaded pupils. They could see in the low light conditions of the Zarak where fully sunny conditions were very rare due to constant cloud cover. Their vision worked better at night when they could exploit their excellent night vision to stalk and hunt their prey. Their small noses were very sensitive to all sorts of smells and could pick out scents from miles out.

This helped with their ability to scout and track prey across the Zarak forests. Their mouths could stretch out wide and were filled with rows of very small and sharp teeth. The fangs that they used for "turning" their victims were hidden behind these rows of teeth to prevent accidental victims when they used their teeth to attack their prey. Their jaws were very strong and could tear apart both leather and flesh.

Culture

The Xildun kin'toni Clan had a rich and refined culture that was inspired by their higher ideals and motivation to restore the kin'toni of the Zarak forest to their rightful position as overlords of the land. They were extremely proud of their role in unifying the kin'toni tribes of the region and would flaunt it as an achievement wherever they went. This could be inspirational to some but was mostly seen as irritating and narcissistic. They had very high opinions of themselves and carried themselves in a very boastful manner. The Xildun were founded by a charismatic leader named Kinbanech.

Who was a major influence in all of the clan's activities and behavior. As their founder, he led a handful of followeres who called themselves the Xildun in a mission to unite the warring kin'toni tribes under their banner. This mission required them to adopt a military approach since the barbaric kin'toni tribes had repeatedly declined his offers for talks and negotiation. The only way to spread their ideas was through wars and conquest. The Xildun were very successful in this endeavor and unified the tribes into a single Xildun kin'toni clan.

The methods used during this war would become ingrained into popular Xildun culture. One of the best examples was the compulsary military sevice for all members- since the clan was initially formed as a warrior society. Their culture absorbed many different elements from the different kin'toni tribes that they conquered all over the region. They adopted a very simple language that adopted words and expressions from all the subjugated tribes with a common writing script that was based on pictoral represention of their ideas. They had to tone down the complexity of these forms.

In order to make them accessible to the primitive kin'toni tribes who had a lower intellectual capacity. The Xildun kin'toni were known for their extreme natures. They enjoyed high risk activities that involved adrenaline, adventure and danger. Some of the popular activities among their clan included cliff-diving, where the members would jump from cliff faces or treetops into the frigid lakes that spanned the central areas of the Zarak forest. Another activity was skiing on the snow covered forest ground in winters using flat, tree barks shaped into skiis.

These activities resulted in a lot of injuries. The need to treat these injuries in a timely and effective manner would indirectly lead to the development of traditional healing methods and medicines within their clan. They held many feasts to commemorate events from their past when they were not at war. These events were large celebrations where the clan would hold large feast for the entire clan to participate in eating, drinking fruit wine and animal blood. Stories would be shared and the entire clan would recount their roles and actions during the event.

Most of the clan members would remain intoxicated for days after these celebrations. They were a necessary release from their high-stress life that involved constant wars with zu'aan enclaves and worrying about their own survival in the future.

Government

The Xildun kin'toni Clan's form of government was set up by their founder, Kinbanech. As a strong personality who was also very driven and charismatic, he wanted total power and control over the destiny of the clan. He loved being in control and hated anyone challenging his leadership. He had complete confidence that he was the only leader with the vision to unite the kin'toni tribes of the region. He had the best interest of the clan in mind and would successfully lead the clan to their dominant position in Zarak. His successful stint as the clan's leader would inspire the model followed by his successors.

Their leader's were not elected but rather rose through the clan's ranks. A prospect had to be both charismatic and be able to inspire the confidence of his peers. This was a tough challenge since they had to stand out from among thousands and be strong enough to push their way to the top. A new leader could arise at any point even before the death of the old one. Any strong personality with enough followers could challenge for the leadership. The clan believed that only the strongest were fit to rule. It was the leader's prerogative to fight off all challengers and even kill his rivals.

The Xildun's leader controlled all aspects of the clan's civil life. He was responsible for making laws, ensuring the enforcement of these laws and punishing those who had violated these laws. Their laws prescribed compulsary military service which had been a non-negotiable throughtout their history. The government was strict in imposing this law and violators could find themselves punished by death or expelled, if their leader was feeling merciful. The harsh conditions of military recruitment were balanced out by the clan's free regulations around consumption of intoxicants and festivals.

These were put in place to balance out the rigours of their lives and allowed them to release their tensions and stress. The leader enforced law and order with the help of his followers. These included his well-wishers, supporters and all those who had accompanied his rise to the top. In return for their loyalty and support, they were assigned the role of a voluntary police force who were responsible for policing the clan's settlements and making sure that all miscreants and violators of the law were brought to justice. They only had the power to make arrests while the leader took care of the judicial proceedings.

Criminals were judged in front of the entire clan by the clan leader. As their crimes were read out, the crowd were free to chant their opinion or throw rocks at the criminal. The final judgement was made by the leader only. Punishment were usually harsh in the clan as the crowds enjoyed seeing public executions and their leaders were not willing to disappoint any large public gathering. A proper execution would lead to more positive opinions about the leader and his role in making their clan a safer place.

Military

The Xildun kin'toni Clan were most famous for the military aspect of their organization. They originated as a band of warriors under their leader, Kinbanech- who's aim was to unite the warring kin'toni tribes of the region under one banner and reclaim the Zarak region. He had to resort to violence and military power because of the realities of the kin'toni mindset. The tribes were impervious to his requests and attempts to negotiate a merger of their groups. The Xildun would soon realize that the only way to unify the kin'toni was through force.

Violence was the only way to assert their dominance and bend the other kin'toni to their will. When Kinbanech first organized his closest followers into the Xildun, they were still militarily inexperienced and had only a fierce will and bravery that was second to none. Their confidence would grow after their first few victories where their leader's tactical genius became clear. They were able to outwit bigger armies through better positioning and deception. More victories followed and their numbers grew even larger as they subjugated the defeated clans and slowly absorbed their numbers. Their military might became unstoppable as their numbers began to match their tactical brilliance.

Military service was mandatory for all members of the Xildun. They were founded as a military clan and each of their members was a warrior. They took personal pride in their skill and trained daily for every situation. The prospect of rewards and recognition were a big driving force for the clan's warriors. Their bravery and skill in battle could win them land, weapons and livestock among other rewards from their leaders. The clan took their military training very seriously. Their entire lives were spent on training for warfare. Thus there was no hesitation or lack of composure when they would finally get their wars.

Bravery was expected from everyone and soldiers who deserted or showed cowerdice were eventually punished with gruesome deaths. This breeded an atmosphere of excellence. They expected the best out of each other and there was an unprecedented level of trust among their warriors. This ultimately led to better coordination in the battlefield and helped them win many wars against both the kin'toni and zu'aan. The Xildun kin'toni were armed with a variety of weapons that originated from all over Taerel. They were accustomed to scavenging weapons from the dead and wounded after a battle.

And would gladly exhange theirs for any superior one they came across. They could fight with either their weapons or with the large talons on their feet. The Xildun were very particular when taking captives for the purpose of being "turned". They would only pick the finest specimens of each tribe and put them through a special diet before their conversion. This was to ensure that their new initiates would meet the high standards set by the clan's warriors. They were put throught a rigorous training sessions after they were turned. Many would die here or would be discarded by the Xildun if they failed to meet the necessary requirements.

The few who made it would become part of the Xildun society.

Religion

The Xildun kin'toni clan worshipped a God that they called Und'ves. They believed that he was the creator of all kin'toni and the keeper of all their spirits in death. The Und'ves worship was not a new religion invented by the Xildun. It was an old practice that was already prevalent among the native tribes of the Zarak forest. The founder of the Xildun was himself a devotee of the God along with many other members of the clan. This uniformity would be strictly enforced as the clan began to absord the surrounding kin'toni that they defeated in battle.

It was necessary to impose this religion in order to have common principles and to ensure that there were no fractures and incompatibility between members of their clan. After the Xildun defeated another kin'toni in battle, they would sort their captives in terms of physical ability and their willingness to convert to their religion. Only those who passed both tests were accepted to join their clan while the rest would meet much grimmer fates. This rule also applied to the zu'aan captives they captured during their attacks on zu'aan strongholds and enclaves.

Prayer and worship were conducted at a regular basis within the Xildun's camps. Religious education was a must and helped to indoctrimate most of the clan's members into having a similar outlook on life. This was crucial to the unity of the clan. The clan members were required to become fluent in reciting atleast one of their prayer chants by heart. The clan were led in their prayers and religious education by dedicated Und'ves priests who had studied the religion their entire lives and were well versed in its history along with all their prayers.

They had an important position in their society sice religion was the fabric that held the clan together. They were to identify anyone who wandered from their beliefs or were experiencing doubts. These individuals would be specially educated again so that they remained within the clan's influence. If the priests failed, the misguided individuals were expelled from the clan or executed instantly. Their religion condoned these brutal measures and even encouraged them to purse power by any means. it was one of the reasons why the kin'toni were very stubborn and responded only to power.

Someone who had not defeated them was unworthy of their attention and they would blatantly refuse to negotiate or come to terms with them. Their religion was well suited to the need of their warriors. It encouraged sacrifices in battle and bravery, Dying while facing your enemy was the most valiant type of death that a Xildun could hope for. They believed that Und'ves himself would come to collect the spirits of those who met their deaths in this fashion. This belief would spur them on to perform great deeds in battle without any thought of self preservation.

Their outlook on death was very different from other clan's. The Xildun viewed death as a release that would reunite with the God.and their ancestors.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Xildun Kin'toni Clan

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