Ydari Kin'toni Clan

History

The Ydari Kin’toni clan came into being during the beginning of the Awakening age. For the beginning years the Ydari moved region to region simply building numbers. They realized early on that simply feeding on zu’aan wasn’t going to work in the long run and needed the protection of numbers to stay safe over time and secure their own futures. A leader soon emerged by the name of Malytil. Malytil hadn’t been a particularly strong fighter, but he was an extremely skilled mediator who could put a stop to nearly any fight or dispute. The clan under Malytil’s lead grew to a medium size, though there were problems within of constant in-fighting between members when Malytil wasn’t there to calm them.

The members though didn’t trust any other leader as they were suspicious that they were making power grabs against the other members and were not thinking about what was best for everyone. Malytil soon had to make a public statement to the clan banning infighting after a clan member had been severely injured and would need extensive treatment to heal to a fraction of previous capabilities. All the while, Malytil was working with other smaller clans that were not strong enough to survive on their own, attempting to get them to merge into the Ydari. By then the clan had grown far too large to sustain themselves where they were. A small handful of members were not happy with specific other clan members, and a compromise was formed between them.

Those not happy would be sent out as delegates and representatives for the Ydari clan. Some would go to the smaller clans and act as guards and aid in any battles required to keep their territory, while others would splinter off into sub-clans of the Ydari. Malytil kept up this practice and soon had dozens of sub-clans that followed the Ydari leadership and rules similar to a medieval feudal system. The (mostly) peaceful Ydari clan soon fell though, as partway though the Awakening age Malytil was assassinated and the clan’s military general took over. He was uninterytil was assassinated and the clan’s military general took over. He was uninterested in protecting and keeping up with the sub-clans whom he viewed as too much of a hassle.

Around this time, the sub-clan of the Zashxkel Shield region fell due to the withheld military support they relied on. The then newly formed Neraksam clan declared independence from the Ydari to which the new leader accepted, not wanting anything more to do with the region. This ultimately led to the downfall of the now massive clan, as the general had not realized how much of the supplies the main clan relied on came from the sub-clans. As the support was withheld, more and more clans broke away or were conquered, leaving only the main Ydari clan by the beginning of the Shattering age. By that time, it was a shadow of its former self and glory, as while they managed to keep a hold on their territory, they were far too weak to attempt to gain a hold on any other region and struggled to gain the resources needed for their clan to survive.

By then the clan was tired of the general rule and staged a coup, forcing him out and deciding that banishment was enough of a punishment for him- that he had to live the life that he had condemned the clan to after his take over. A new leader, with similar traits but not as strong as Malytil, was appointed and has spent the entirety of his time attempting to undo the mistakes that were done before him.

Psychology

The Ydari clan was historically a peaceful clan. They didn’t engage in any unnecessary violence or provoking behaviors. They understood that their nature made them an enemy to the zu’aan, but they did not wish to go into full on war. At the beginning, their general nature made them more susceptible to infighting, often ‘hangry’ as they were relatively weak and barely took enough to sustain themselves in hopes of preventing the zu’aan from going into battle. Under Malytil’s rule, the clan was peaceful. Bickering was still an issue, though they learned quickly to channel any anger or contain it so they did not break out into physical fights. A number of the ‘bloodlines’ of the clan were more inclined to hostility, and infighting was banned, they quickly became repressed in emotions.

To keep themselves in check, they would ‘shut off’ their emotions in an almost dissociative state. Because of this, those members rarely felt ‘pleasure’ in the sense of joy or fulfilment- they weren’t unhappy, but they weren’t enjoying life either. Those who did not have this problem couldn’t understand those members, and this led to a cultural divide between the two to the point that they needed to be separated from one another for the clan to function as needed. The others that were not fighting inclined were happy with the peace they got, and lived extremely content while Malytil was in rule. After their military general’s takeover though there was a large split in the clan.

Those who were happy about not having to be as restrained and those who were filled with new anxiety about the future of the clan. The members of the fighting inclined bloodlines that had stayed in the main clan ‘turned on’ their emotions again which quickly led to many fights again. From there the clan started to take on a more aggressive nature; though it was pointed more inward than outward. Over the years the Ydari got more and more hostile toward one another as the fighting continued. The lack of food and ability to sustain themselves started to get the best of them and they started to band together, viewing the military general as a common enemy. Being that if they had to fight, they might at least fight against the one pitting themselves against each other instead of making their situation worse.

Their survival instincts kicked in and they grouped together again to find a proper leader. With the rising aggression, there were very few of the calmer bloodlines that stuck around to mediate. Those of the calmer lines worked with the aggressive: the more hostile would do what they do best and pick fights while the calmer watched out for those who attempted to stop the fighting. The ‘targeted’ infighting was meant to draw out the more rational and mediator types of the clan and find one of similar mentality to Malytil as he was the one they truly needed. The older of the clan members tended to be more calm in general, no matter the bloodline, having lost the energy or will to pick fights about meaningless inconveniences.

Biology

The Ydari clan, like the ‘pure Neraksam’ were almost bat or bird like in nature. Once changed, they formed wings from the skin on their arms which connected to their abdomen- hair like feathers formed after the wing was fully formed. Unlike the Neraksam clan, those of the Ydari clan were able to sustain flight at almost double the height that the Neraksam could. Even though they were technically malnourished in comparison, this was due to the fact that they would be considered part of the ‘original’ and ‘pure’ strain of their kin’toni type. Neraksa had been changed by a kin’toni who was a generation separated from the Ydari clan; the one who changed him having been from part of the clan that was sent away under Malytil.

Due to a combination of factors, they lost the needed strength and muscle capability to sustain longer flight. The Ydari members did not have this problem, as their home kept the optimal conditions for them to train their wing muscles and bodies for the strain such extended flight took. A key difference was that the Neraksam’s wings while bird like took excessive flapping due to a shorter wingspan and improper feather like production. The majority of the Ydari’s airtime consisted of gliding after gaining enough height. Their wingspan was also much larger in comparison, nearly 20 to 25 feet in length. Their wings like the Neraksam were made using the bones in the hands, leaving the index and thumb fingers to form talon like claws.

The newest of the clan have started mutating to gain a third finger (6 ‘zu’aan’ fingers) though it is only the very beginning stages and acts more like a non-functioning skin tag than an actual apposable digit. Some have decided that it is too much of a tearing hazard and cut off circulation by tightly wrapping it until it died and fell away. Others have kept the digit, though they keep it loosely wrapped up when doing anything other than flying to prevent any trauma to the region. Another thing that sets them apart from the Neraksam is that their coloring of their feathers is solid while the others range from spotted, gradated, or multicolored.

The color usually corresponds with what their natural hair color was as a zu’aan, though some that were dark haired got fairer colored feathers if they had lighter colored recessive genes. Their hair remained the same color though so they were sometimes mistaken be outsiders as being from one of the ‘sub-clans’ instead of the main Ydari. Like birds, the Ydari are capable of seeing a large part of the UV spectrum. Their feathers reflect the UV rays and they use them as ways to communicate. Some Neraksam and those of the sub-clans can see the rays as well, though they only catch the smallest of the UV rays in their vision so they’re incapable of seeing the full extent of the ‘language’ being sent.

Because of their eyesight though, they usually are only active during the day, relying on sub-clans that are nocturnal to take the lead at night- especially in battle communications.

Culture

The Ydari to outsiders seemed like a tightknit group or family unit. This was partly true for a proportion of the clan members, though there was a divide creating 2 units instead of one. When infighting was prevalent, there was no solid unit for the majority of clan members. There were ‘cliques’, usually from the same bloodline, or close bloodlines that kept together and protected each other if a fight broke out.When Malytil took over, there was a shift. The calm formed their own group unit, while the more aggressive formed another. The calm was more familial than the aggressive group; those in the latter were banded together out of resentment for the situation in the clan as well as their irritation with the calm clan members.

Each group would do things together ranging form eating to training and daily tasks. They did so in close proximity to the other groups, but those who could read their body language would see that there was at least a one-sided distain. Also under Malytil, with their fighting forces being organized, the beginnings of their ‘UV language’ were put into place. It started with simple communications like ‘hi’ and ‘danger’. Each of the two groups started making their own variations with the calm groups’ version being the main ‘standard’ across the clan. They weren’t regulated to use the standard in their daily lives, but in cases of military communications or similar ‘official’ types it was expected.

Once the military general took over, the other variations were started to become more integrated in their speech. This often led to confusion and miscommunication between the two ‘factions’ in the clan due to the dual meanings; they were often forced into verbal communication that they used with outsiders and the sub-clans to get the information across. A common thread across the Ydari ‘factions’ was their association with hair. Those newly turned would grow out their hair long and keep it long as they were learning and building their wing muscles. They had various hair accessories as they reached various levels of mastery, such as landing or consistently reaching various heights.

When they were deemed ‘completed’ in their flying lessons, the clan held a large celebration. Each of the closest bloodlines members as well as the highest clan members would take turns cutting a section of the member’s hair in a designated length (anywhere from a complete shave to a short bob). This was viewed as a ‘rite of passage’ where the member was considered an adult and full-fledged member who could fight with the clan or be sent on diplomatic missions. Those who had not gone through the rite of passage were considered ‘fledglings’, a term adopted from the zu’aan outsiders who lived closest and likened them to birds often. As a fledgling, one would go about daily tasks, but their most important tasks that superseded any other was flight and defensive training.

In rare cases where a fledgling went though an extremely grueling event (say being a lone survivor from an enemy attack) they’d be promoted to a pseudo-ascended role where they could be given other responsibilities on top of their flight and fighting training. Those pseudo-ascended were considered the ‘next line’ of adults and the next in charge by the fledglings- especially should something happen incapacitating, separating or killing to all the clan’s adults. This led to an older sibling like relationship with the pseudo-ascended, even across the factions.

Government

The Ydari had a medieval feudal like system of government when it came to the other clans. During Malytil’s time, the Ydari clan was at top, with the various sub-clans below. If there were multiple clans in close proximity then the larger would act as the ‘lord’ over the other smaller ones. Each clan was allowed to self-govern in the smaller everyday, but anything on larger manners, or manners that could lead to the need of the Ydari’s intervention was sent up the chain. For those with the larger clan, if they could not handle the issue, or deemed it too risky would send it onto the Ydari. In many cases, the larger issue would be handled by Malytil directly as there was extensive negotiations needed to settle the matter.

The majority of the sub-division clans followed the same format as the Ydari- a ‘wizened’ leader which had the necessary skill that the clan needed, with a council of leaders for the other branches that were not their specialty. Every clan had a military leader, though they most often only handled the border patrol of their territories and small skirmishes while any larger battles were deferred to the Ydari representative. Each clan often sent ‘tributes’ to the Ydari for their protection.

This was often in the form of captured zu’aan that would be used for food; though some would send weapons they raided or other items that could be traded with others. With the tributes, a delegate would often accompany the shipment. They cycled about every 2-3 shipments so that each speaking for their clan’s needs would be the most up to date on the current events. There were rarely meetings needed with the delegates, though they were there on the chance that they needed immediate communication that affected all the sub-clans. The Ydari kept a special class that was specifically trained by Malytil on the best negotiation tactics. Members from this class were sent to the clans as part of that clan’s council and would give input on the severity of the issue as well as if it needed to be escalated up the clan.

These Ydari members would often train an apprentice in the clan so that they would take over the main ‘negotiator’ position to aid should they be recalled or unable to speak on behalf of the clan. This broke down mostly when the military general took over. The sub-clans stopped sending tribute when military help was denied. The Ydari special class negotiators weren’t recalled, but many retreated back to the main clan as the sub-clans started turning on the Ydari in resentment. Some clans went the other way and were desperately attempting to get the negotiators to speak to the general on their behalf but that failed. With their main power and source of ‘income’ gone, the clan shrunk to only the clan members and the leaders.

The feudal like system dissolved completely; with the general attempting to do the same with the majority of the council. He managed to remove all but 3 other leaders. When the general was ousted the previously dissolved positions were reinstated, though there were no clans to form their previous system, so a new ‘Merchant’ leader was instated to handle the trade with the clans they were attempting to rebuild their previously good relations with.

Military

The main Ydari clan did not have a constant large-organized army. The majority of its strength came from the many smaller sub-clan. They much preferred to attempt negotiating over any kind of fighting, though all members were trained to fight should the need arise. When a clans needed military assistance the Ydari would send what forces they had ready as well as enlisting the closer clans to aid as well. Due to their eyesight limitations, the clans they enlisted for help usually were most active at night. When in battle, to keep communications as secret and secure as possible orders were given via their ‘UV language’. For each of the squads, there was at least one Ydari member to relay the battle commands.

The Ydari’s forces most commonly consisted of two main types. The front-line fighters and the ‘bombers’. The front-liners were exclusively ground troops, be it because injury prevented them from flying or they were better at melee and hand to hand combat. They had various armor plating, though the most common was made from metal as they did not need to move quickly as the bombers did. Very few carried any kind of weapon on their person due to the limited strength in their two digit grasp. Most relied on their talons to slash and cut their opponents. The bombers consisted of small groups of Ydari who were extremely quick and agile flyers. They would fly over the battlefield and attack the back lines to break down the support.

Split approximately in half, one group of bombers would conduct dive attacks, slashing and knocking down enemies- usually archers of some kind- before retreating out of the enemy’s reach. The other half would swoop down close to the battlefield and drop various attacks. They had discovered that combining various plants and alcohol would create a grenade like explosion once air hit the agitated mixture. This was the most common attack, though some would throw small daggers or sharpened rocks. These two groups would act as backup for the sub-clan’s forces. That mixed with the military general’s battle plans, the Ydari would often will any battle they entered. When the military general took over though more fighting types were added.

Additional melee and front-line fighters were added, though they were significantly weaker than the previous groups. They trained and used a variety of weapons like maces and swords, but despite their excessive training they were often the squads with the most casualties. Members of the squad were often disarmed with a single blow, which would wound their digits to a near useless state leaving them near defenseless. They had their toe talons, but there would not be enough time or space to be able to effectively attack using them. Also under the general’s rule, the clan had to start enlisting the fledglings into the military ranks. They never actually made it to the battlefield, as there were still just barely enough numbers of adults making up their armed forces that the fledglings acted more as the reserves than active members.

They were still forced to train as though they were adults- which was more intensive and demanding than what they were used to in the past. When the new leader took over, the fledglings were released from service, though the other squads remained as the original two squad types were not enough should they be attacked again.

Religion

The Ydari in the very beginnings of their clan did not have an organized religion. After Malytil took over, a large number of clan members organized a religion based around pacifism and general peace. Their religion did not have a god or deity of any kind, though they believed that the universe was a living thing itself. They thought that being a living thing, any harm caused to the world through battle or strife would result in a negative mark against one’s soul. Enough of these marks would force them to be reincarnated in an attempt for them to get rid of that stain. Each mark was only removed either by living a life without causing any harm to the universe or by preventing such an event from happening.

This was a common religion among those who became negotiators trained by Malytil. Malytil himself never publicly made any statement on his thoughts on the religion, despite many of its teachings about preventing harm came from his lessons. His students would often believe that the universe would use him as it’s speaker, giving him the information subconsciously which he would adopt into his lifestyle and lessons. The religion took a major hit after Malytil was assassinated as their unelected leader was suddenly gone. Many tried to follow after but did not know how to continue without Malytil’s guidance. While under the general’s lead, the religion nearly died out completely.

There wasn’t any replacement during that time, as the aggressive clan members had adopted the thought that if there had been any kind of deity that it had abandoned Taerel long ago since it allowed them to suffer for years without any kind of aid. When the general was overthrown, there was a resurgence in the religion. Those who had continued believing were given a second wave of sorts with the newest leader, believing that if not Malytil reincarnated that he was sent by the universe for the same purpose that Malytil had. There were some differences to the religion after that, as it started to morph from no deity to the universe being alive and having a consciousness that had possessed Malytil and their new leader.

To explain Malytil’s death, they slowly started to ass that the general had been influenced by Queladrian, the ‘chaos’ of the universe that had been created when the first creatures caused strife. Queladrian wasn’t necessarily a god or deity of any kind, but it was a formless influence- taking either extreme. There was limited artwork due to difficulty holding tools, but the pieces that were created depicted Queladrian as both extreme light and extreme dark. It was described that Queladrian used the dark to appeal to those who were more inclined to being marked, while it used the light to appear ‘pure’ to those who did not know better to trick them into following its will instead of what the universe wanted.

Any kind of ‘negotiator’ position became viewed as almost as a priest like position, executing the universe’s will. Any skills of negotiation were thought to be a sign that that person’s soul was close to ‘resting’ with the rest of the universe and they were meant to guide those who were not skilled.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Ydari Kin'toni Clan

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