Galaka Kin'toni Clan

History

The Galaka are counted among the few dozen warrior kin'toni clans of the world, their society like other warrior clans is predominantly based around roles on the battlefield. The warriors of the Galaka are infantry troops that are experts not only in block formations and their application but also known for their world renowned stamina and will power. It is said that a Galaka warrior given a task will see it done even in death, their religion and culture has evolved around honour on the battle field.

And a level of self sufficiency that borders on pure insanity for not only do the Galaka live in one of the most challenging landscapes in Erea, their charge is one that requires near daily patrol and almost weekly engagements with the Zu’Aan. Like the other warrior clans, the Galaka are an offshoot that evolved from one of the initial clans of kin'toni that were formed into a company to fight as one in defence of a particular region or the attack of one. For the Galaka, the mission that has shaped them is the defence of the Red mines.

The essential mining regions for Iron that are considered to produce the best quality of iron and in the greatest in not only Erea but also in comparison to the other parts of the world. The most important events that have shaped the Galaka are the blood battles, there have been three blood battles for the Iron mines, and only two of those have involved the Galaka. The first blood battle for the red mines is an important tale that is considered an important part of the oral history of all kin'toni clans found in Erea and for some in Canlai as well as other landmasses.

The first blood battle was held between a newly raised warrior kin'toni clan and the zu'aan that held what is now the central node of the red mines. The zu'aan had been chased to the red mines by rising kin'toni that had been converting zu'aan by the thousands and while other zu'aan were fighting in battles against the newly risen kin'toni. The zu'aan that occupied the red mines at the time were desperate and poorly supplied, and had only stumbled on the mining town in the drylands, and had jumped at the prospect of holding a piece of fortified land that had no kin'toni and a large supply of food and water.

Soon, due to the out of the way nature of the settlement, the zu'aan were able to raise themselves and find ways to gain access to more supplies including weapons of war. This settlement was to become one of the first models of the city state model that became so prevalent in later years, historians agree that the fate of the zu'aan in this particular city state inspired the adoption of the same model by other pockets of zu'aan in the world. The clan that was raised to attack the zu'aan settlement in the drylands was completely crushed.

And the kin'toni were stunned beyond belief, this marked the first defeat of the kin'toni in any engagement.

Psychology

The Galaka are among the most strong willed kin'toni in the world, they are goal oriented and do not understand what it means to yield, however, among their own the Galaka kin'toni are not competitive. They create one of the most positive atmospheres for their recruits and the leaders in their squads are based not only on skill but on the basis of the ability to inspire. The Galaka warrior is ideal for not only is the kin'toni able to focus on mission objectives without being distracted by hunger or thirst, and may choose to walk in the sun than give up on a difficult task.

Some may call the Galaka brave to the point of suicidal, in the transformation from zu'aan to kin'toni, the kin'toni loose many of the abilities and qualities that are generally associated with the zu'aan. In most cases the bravery to the point of idiocy is generally lost as most kin'toni have a very strong sense of self preservation. This is not the case for the Galaka, even the very first seed of kin'toni that formed the core of the clan, they were known to retain the courage that zu'aan are known to display even in the face of impossible odds.

This courage in the Galaka has been nurtured into their recruits over centuries of training and war. The reason for the development of this courage can only be theorised and of those that helped shape the culture of the kin'toni warriors few remain that are willing or even able to provide the reason for this part of their training and culture. However, the most popular theory has postulated that due to the proximity of the kin'toni to enemies, blood shed and war, the kin'toni have come to understand that compared to other kin'toni their lifespan is certainly not infinite and may be severely limited.

As the kin'toni may fall in battle the very next day. As such they do not place a lot of stock in other pleasures of life that other kin'toni clans have made a crucial part of their own culture, but the Galaka instead believe that death is not the worst fate that can be met, but a life won at another’s cost and that would make the their kinsmen to be unable to follow ore rely on them. In this way the Galaka are known to pay importance to the life of the kin'toni and how her assisted those that relied upon them, as well as the manner of death.

A kin'toni warrior in their eyes is said to be successful if the kin'toni is able to leave behind his squad with tales of bravery that they could then retell to their members, and so although a kin'toni may not live forever in the actual lifespan, but is able to live impossibly long within the stories that are told of their warriors. The kin'toni of the Galaka clan are therefore very fond of funerals and they are opportunities for fellow kin'toni to listen and keep their fallen warriors forever alive within their own minds.

These legends of warriors are never recorded on paper and are only told to those kin'toni that have risen to their own clan and no others.

Biology

The kin'toni of the region have lived in the region for centuries now, besides simply living in the region the Galaka live off the land itself, and it is a great dishonour for the kin'toni to use blood stock while living on the drylands for the purpose of sustenance. As such the biological changes in the kin'toni have been significant but since they are constantly recruiting new members, and several of the kin'toni fall in battle as well, the level of changes in the kin'toni are not the same and nor are they to the same degree.

Their ability to survive on little blood, that they procure through hunting on their own is said to be an adaptation as well although this maybe a cultural adaptation more than that caused by nature, for fresh recruits and initiates find it ever so challenging, and though the procedure for joining the Galaka clan is among the most humane and built more on teaching than weeding out those not determined enough, the drop out rate is still one of the highest, and this mostly due to the rules about the manner and frequency of feeding.

The Galaka though do not allow recruits to consume blood from animals that haven’t themselves killed, they also do not allow the recruits to kill at random, since the ecosystem is so delicate the number of animals that each member can hunt is strictly limited and breaches are punished unto the threat of banishment. The extreme temperature found in the drylands has also meant that the kin'toni have adapted to retain a lot of moisture from their diet and do not rely on drinking water for remming hydrated, like the tuloa-kal that they idolise so much.

The kin'toni are able to fulfil their moisture requirements simply from the blood they consume from their prey. They have also developed limbs that are much longer than the kin'toni of other regions, this seems to be a two-fold adaptation, one for better survival in the drylands and the other for the manner in which the Galaka fight. The long limbs help the kin'toni warriors stay further way from the boiling hot sand, the increase in distance isn’t much greater than what it would be with normal sized limbs but it allows them to stay cooler and therefore use up less of their bodies moisture in regulating their temperature.

These limbs also allow the kin'toni to travel long distances and do so quickly without being tired as quickly. The drylands are a vast place and he red mines are scattered all across the drylands, a typical warrior of the Galaka clan is required to travel a huge distance in every night’s patrol, and the lengthy limbs allow them to travel the drylands with more ease and comfort. Their skin colouring also seems to have altered in the time that they have lived in the drylands, adopting a unique dark hue that helps them blend better better with their surroundings.

And those that have gained this adaptation have had an added advantage in hunting as they are able to remain undetected from their prey for far longer than the kin'toni that retain the characteristic pale hue of the kin'toni. They have blue irises with white sclera and vertical slit pupils in their eyes.

Culture

The kin'toni of the drylands are a deeply superstitious clan, believing in the forces of nature to be embodied by sentient beings that are although not to be worshiped but respected and trusted. The Galaka believe that the winds in particular play an important role in their life on the plains, that they can either choose to punish the Galaka or reward them. It is said that when a Galaka dishonours the ways of the kin'toni, the winds punish the offending kin'toni by pushing prey away and by flowing against the warriors passage.

Although they are superstitious they do not seem to believe in the force of ritual and follow a culture that is deeply utilitarian and aims to inculcate habits that allow them to survive the harsh drylands. Those that have stood the test of time in the drylands for enough centuries to acquire all the adaptations that one can hope to survive in the drylands are said to be wise enough to interpret the winds and guide the clan through important crossroads and events.

These veterans are given significant power in the Galaka society but this does not mean that they are given any special rewards or a prefentail treatment, although they are seen as respect members of the clan, these clan members are also trusted to complete some of the most challenging tasks that can be found in the drylands. They are expected to travel to the further outposts and hold positions in the areas most frequently attacked regions. This added difficulty given to the fully adapted is truly seen to be a privilege in the Galaka kin'toni warrior clan.

For this means that they are able to defend their kin best of all and further find a place in the legends that are told of the fallen Galaka. It is also observed, that despite being the members that are given the hardest of the tasks, the casualty rate for those that are fully adapted is the the lowest for all the sections of the warrior clan. An important tradition though that remains a part of the practice for the kin'toni that wish to join the elite ranks of the Galaka clan is that which involves the hunting of the tuloa-kal that is found only in the drylands.

Each initiate is required find and hunt the tuloa-kal but only one of a particular age, and through the years, this step of the process has continue to become ever more difficult for the population though guarded has till decreased, and besides that the animal too seems to be adapting and becoming ever more difficult to find and hunt. However, once the tuloa-kal has been captured, the feeding experience is said to be among one of the deepest pleasures that a Galaka member can experience, the blood of a mature tuloa-kal is said to be one of the finest in the whole Taerel.

It is completely undiluted and is the very essence of life that is compressed and aged in the small body of the tuloa-kal.

Government

The Galaka have a strict military command structure, with the adapted Galaka sitting at the top of the chain of command, although their role in the community involves them taking the most difficult of tasks that are to be assigned, they are still important decision makers for the clan. However, the Galaka have been accorded a deep level of autonomy and support by the Pioneer clans’ council that rules over the kingdom of Ashat. Their role in securing the redlines is said to be above reproach, and they have done better than any other warrior clans in ensuring their charge was fulfilled.

Despite the vanquishing of the zu'aan from the Red mines after the second and third blood battle of the red mines, the Galaka continued to remain posted in the harsh climes of the plains even though it is said that the council had given them the opportunity to take up a posting that would not be as arduous as the one for the red mines, but their refusal to do so was based on a sense of honour and the Galaka chose to remain in the drylands even as all others given the chance have fled from it.

The pioneer clans’ council continues to honour the sacrifice of the Galaka as everyday they choose their duty over the pleasures of a comfortable life. The honour of carrying the Greenwood missives, which are made from the Greenwood tree grown in the Jau Jungle Hills and milled in the ravines, by land has only ever been awarded to a Galaka member. This missive is sent to the administrators of regions as direct messages from the council and is a rare privilege for the nature of the Ashat Kingdom is strictly federal and the council does not generally interfere in the day to day administration of the different regions.

The Greenwood missive is one of the only tools they utilise to exact their authority throughout the various provinces of their nation. The involvement of the Galaka in this important political tool is a calculated move by the council for this is not only a method of honouring the Galaka and rewarding them in a manner that they seem to genuinely respect, it also acts as an unspoken message to those receiving the missive. In order to understand the subtle message that is implied by sending a Galaka to deliver the Greenwood missive is perhaps not evident to all.

To begin with, we must first understand the role of a missive, which is generally used to enforce a law upon an erring administrator. By using the Galaka for delivering the message, the council displays the power of their position, and the message is clearly a threat stating “Comply with this order, or you’ll have to a thousand of these in battle.” And it is an effective tactic, Greenwood missives in their own can be terrifying for ruler but to receive one from the hands of a Galaka warrior is truly a nightmare that they’d rather not live through.

Military

The Galaka are some of the finest troops in all of the Ashat nation, and though a few of the particularly skilled clan members can be found posted in the nation’s armies and guarding forces, they are mostly organised into a company of their own clan. The company that comprises the Galaka rarely if ever ventures out of the plains that they so zealously guard. In fact the only time the Galaka warriors company has been sighted out of the drylands was at the time of shattering, when the council was forced to call upon the Galaka warriors to break the siege of the Jau Jungle Hills.

And accounts of their action in the field against traitor kin'toni set many a heart fluttering. The Galaka are terribly effective troops, the movement of their spear blocks through the battlefield and can be distinguished from miles away. The Galaka companies break into block depending upon their number and the size of the terrain, at their largest, they are able to form hundreds of blocks several individuals deep. Their characteristically dark livery sets them apart in the field of war, that paired with the rhythmic humming and shouts the warriors practice while in combat makes it easy to distinguish the Galaka blocks.

Those kin'toni that have stood with the Galaka in battle describe a feeling of upwelling in the pits of their stomachs as they charge an enemy, it is almost as if being carried by a wave, their humming provides the beat to which they charge. The sight of these tall, lanky and stark wars going to war with faces deformed by the passion for battle is enough to set any kin'toni warrior aback and cause them to flee. Those that have faced them in battle during the wars of the shattering and lived to speak of the tale, shudder even today at the mention of the Galaka warriors.

They make a very clear distinction between the Galaka that are at war and those that aren’t, for a Galaka warrior is transformed in battle, losing their cold expressions to display strong emotions such as anger and even hatred. Those Galaka kin'toni seem to be on the very verge of losing their sanity in the thrill of the battle, and trying to fight a whole horde of the warriors is an impossibility. The typical Galaka warrior is armed with the very best of weapons and armour that can be supplied by the Ashat nation, all of their spears are expertly made.

While the spear head is made by the expert blacksmiths of Turenth Lush River, and the stave for the spear crafted from the hardwood grown in the Itkali Kingdom. They are also known to carry a shield that is made partly of wood, leather and metal combines, it is light and hardy defence that the warriors carry on their backs. The Galaka are also armoured in leather crafted on the steppes and inlaid with the soft material from the Zelan kingdom.

Religion

The Galaka are superstitious but these superstitions seem to be driven by mostly experience rather than the product of an established religion, for the Galaka do not have a systematic religion at all. They are still very devout in their belief even though none have been seen to pray, and all conversations regarding their belief of god is met with stony silence. The warriors seem to hold religion and belief in god to be a topic that cannot be freely discussed, as such their views on the subject are highly insulated against the common views and conceptions of the rest of the kin'toni of the Ashat nation.

And their thoughts remain a mysterious aspect of their life. Those that have spent time with the Galaka will tell you that they mention the winds of the drylands very fondly, and believe them to have a will of their own. Within the drylands these kin'toni believe that the winds are omniscient, able to see and hear all things and so an act of dishonour done even in secret is bound to be punished by the winds. The Galaka also have a very fond outlook on the plants and animals that call the drylands their homes, not only do they revere the tuloa-kal but they also protect it.

The kin'toni that visit the drylands camps to pay their respects to the kin'toni are known to be warned against hunting the tuloa-kal without the strict permission of the fully adapted Galaka members, and for these warriors it is unheard of to allow any kin'toni the privilege of hunting a tuloa-kal. In the oral histories of the Galaka, the warriors have only ever allowed the hunting of the animals to a company of warriors sent from the Adon Kingdom to treat with the Galaka.

Although the treaty did not materialise there were ripples in the people of Ashat when they first heard of the privilege that was granted to the foreigners. These ripples however did not materialise into anything else besides general gossip for the Galaka remained immune to the machinations of politics that the Ashat nation is ever fuelled by. This reverence for natural animals is not only limited to the tuloa-kal but to the other plants and animals of the drylands as well, although the Galaka hunt the Azare-laps.

They also treat them with respect, hating only those animals that have lived a great deal of their life already and only killing when absolutely necessary, this habit of theirs has also given the Galaka a gaunt appearence making them appear underfed and haunted but never weak. The Galaka have little respect for animals that are grown for the purpose of blood stock, believing that they are a crutch that the kin'toni do not really need, and which has become more a weakness than a strength. Comapred to the other kin'toni.

It is rather easy to see what they are referring to, for most kin'toni are no longer the proud hunters that they once were considered to be upon their ascension, all except for a select few clans.

Miscellany

The most recent development in the Galaka clan has been the mission of Adon warriors that stayed with the clan for an extended period of time, initially it was a guarded secret that the Adon had sent a company of knights from all of their five regions in order to treat with the Galaka. This was a crucial event for besides the Galaka themselves all other warrior clans have devolved and cut off ties with the nation that initially birther them, and besides the Galaka all other kin'toni warrior clans have allied themselves together and formed the formidable kingdom of Adon.

The mission sent to the Galaka was composed of the finest warriors that the clans could muster, and they all travelled in secret with the assistance of their warriors that were experts in subterfuge. However, their efforts to treat with the Galaka in secret was wasted, for the leaders of the clans themselves dispatched a messenger to the council detailing the arrival of the Adon delegation and a summary of their message. The Adon delegation was outrightly refused but offered refuge from the gathering Ashat soldiery that been assembled on the fringes of the drylands in response to the message sent by the Galaka.

It is a centuries old tradition, that the only army to ever walk the drylands must only ever be of the Galaka’s themselves, and although the Ashat council was worried about their warriors treating with soldiers from a nation with whom they were currently engaged in active warfare, the council still did not dare challenge the tradition that would have risked alienating the Galaka people. Although the Adon warriors made a convincing case for allying with the nation, the Galaka were not swayed by the offer.

For they have always been rigid in their determination of what life means to them. For the warriors of the drylands, the only life that exists is within the drylands, and they serve the Ashat council as it allows them to continue to live and fight in their sacred land without ever impinging on their autonomy, this was not going to be the case with the Adons. The Adon coalition talked of a massive crusade that would sweep away the weak kin'toni and let the warrior kin'toni claim their rightful rule at the head of the combined might of the whole kin'toni race.

But this vision although appealing to them meant an abandonment of the their sacred land. The Galaka do believe that the rule of a strong army led by warrior clans would be a step in the right direction, they also concluded that if the Galaka abandoned their homeland they too would be made soft by the inner lands. As such they reached a compromise with the Adon, that although they would not join the Adon Kingdom and fight for them, they would also not fight against them, the Galaka would pull back all warriors that were engaged on frontiers that involved the Adon.

This was of course not what the Adon had hoped for but they were glad that they were able to weaken their foe even just a little.

Nearby Groups

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Galaka Kin'toni Clan

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