Lorisul Kin'toni Clan

History

It is said that for as long as the Rodaz Hilly Plains have existed, the Lorisul did as well. Every nearby kin’toni clan has a couple of stories about travelers getting lost in Rodaz, desperate and hopeless, until they heard beautiful song coming from a place far away. They followed this alluring music, and were led to a settlement of Lorisul, who assisted them in making their way back. These stories aren’t merely legends, since the Lorisul kin’toni have always been ready to help others in times of need. Whether they were the oldest clan to settle and build up a fort on the Rodaz Hilly plains, is unknown.

Nevertheless, no living kin’toni in Rodaz is able to recall a time without the Lorisul, a time where the plains were filled not with song, but with a dead, calming lull, for it was the Lorisul kin’toni who discovered the intricate art of making music. Some speculate that they merely copied the zu’aan, who have had the tradition of using musical instruments long before any kin’toni did, but that doesn’t matter today, as the Lorisul are one of the few kin’toni clans who picked this skill up and the only ones who truly excelled at it.

For the Lorisul themselves, their traditions related to singing, dance and celebration are believed to have existed since the very start of the clan’s life, and that the first Lorisul kin’toni was a musician unmatched to anyone today, allowing his talent to spill into the genes of the Lorisul. That’s just an old kin’toni tale though, and the clan’s members also enjoy telling stories that they make up on the spot to brag, so perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt. Something quite impressive about the Lorisul, is that they have managed to remain peaceful for the entirety of their known existence.

They have a military, but are totally against using it versus other kin’toni clans. The zu’aan living near the Lorisul kin’toni clan aren’t as lucky though, as the clan considers hunting zu’aan as an acceptable and encouraged act. Even against the zu’aan though, the Lorisul have never been extremely aggressive. They would much rather partake in some kind of peaceful activity with the clan’s other members, than go out hunting. One might wonder how they have managed to keep control of Rodaz despite the existence of power-hungry kin’toni clans nearby.

When the Lorisul settled in the Rodaz plains, they began the creation of an enormous stone fort, one that would keep invaders out without requiring violent action and proactive defensive measures. This fort towers above the Rodaz Hilly Plains today, the product of years of arduous labour, but it was definitely worth it. Something else that the clan did in the meantime, was to set up diplomatic and trade relations with neighbouring kin’toni clans. Very few are willing to sacrifice a trade partner and a loyal ally just to expand their territory further, so this establishment of relationships between other clans in the region paid off.

Psychology

Saying that the psychology of the Lorisul kin’toni would be an understatement. Their behaviour is completely unique among all of Taerel’s kin’toni clans. The obvious thing that separates them from the other clans is the ability of the Lorisul to play, understand and compose music. This is not something that can be found in a lot of other kin’toni clans, especially the latter two. Therefore, it’s suspected that the intelligence level of the Lorisul is far more advanced than of most other kin’toni, not just because of the music, but also because the society of the Lorisul shows a couple of qualities that point to them having psychological needs that no other kin’toni have.

Such as the need to express themselves, and the need for company of other kin’toni, preferably clan members. The Lorisul kin’toni who do not get their emotional needs met (which happens very rarely, but still possible, for example in members of the Lorisul clan who have gotten lost and spent long periods of time in isolation) tend to fall into a deep depressive state, almost a hunger for the joy that they can’t get. It’s a phenomenon not observed in members of other kin’toni clans, so there must be something special about the Lorisul.

Maybe they are a step above the primal instincts and intellect that drive the other kin’toni, science doesn’t know. One thing which is certain though, is the fact that they exhibit more advanced behavioural patterns than their neighbouring clans. Personality wise, the Lorisul aren’t necessarily outgoing, but are still welcoming. A kin’toni won’t hesitate to help another kin’toni in need, even if the latter is from a different clan, yet at the same time the Lorisul are unlikely to take initiative, preferring to stay within the walls of their settlement and communicate with fellow clan members instead.

If someone makes the first move and joins them though, the Lorisul kin’toni will treat them almost like a long-lost friend, with warmth and respect. It’s critical to remember that the Lorisul are still kin’toni though, and thus share a lot of instincts and qualities with kin’toni from other clans. They, much like all kin’toni on Taerel, have a primal hunger for the blood of zu’aan. This desire for hunting, nourishment and reproduction is something of the highest priority for the kin’toni, and the Lorisul are no different. If they stumble upon a lone zu’aan, or even a small weak group of them, carnage will always ensue.

As the Lorisul get overtaken by their murderous bloodlust and attack their prey in a desperate unending flurry of strikes. This can seem strange, as the Lorisul kin’toni are typically very calm, only showing the slightest hint of aggression towards other kin’toni on extreme provocation, but apparently their patience with zu’aan is way lower. Much like with other kin’toni, the aggression stops after a zu’aan has been successfully turned, so it’s speculated that it’s one of the effects that the kin’toni plague has, rather than a rational system of thought that the Lorisul choose to partake in.

Biology

The Lorisul kin’toni actually look pretty similar to zu’aan. Their height varies from about 170cm to 185cm, and their overall body shape is quite well-rounded and robust even though the Lorisul don’t spent long periods doing physical training like some other kin’toni clans. They are by no means weak, despite doing less training like mentioned earlier. When it comes to their endurance and durability, the Lorisul don’t have a lot to boast with. They can chase their prey across the span of up to a kilometer before giving up. While a kilometer is a lot for a zu’aan, it’s nothing compared to kin’toni clans like the Lyenche or the Loremdra, who can both have a higher top speed and are able to keep it for longer.

However, there is one thing that grants the Lorisul a definite biological edge over other kin’toni clans. The Lorisul kin’toni have senses heightened far beyond what the average kin’toni could imagine. The sight of the Lorisul kin’toni is razor-sharp, they are able to spot and study their prey in detail, from distances where the faraway zu’aan would merely look like specks on the horizon for some other kin’toni clan members. They’re great at judging distance and velocity of the object they are trying to track, though these qualities can be improved with experience.

The night vision of the Lorisul is flawless, time of the day does not obstruct their sight a tiny bit. In fact, the only other kin’toni clan that could perhaps compete with the Lorisul, when it comes to tracking targets in nighttime, is the Lyenche clan. The two clans are far from being rivals to each other though, because of the sheer geographical distance between them. The hearing sense of the Lorisul is outstanding as well. It’s suspected that these kin’toni enjoy music so much partly because their ears are sensitive and can pick out individual sounds with incredible ease.

The distance at which their hearing remains sharp is way above average too, so it’s actually typical of Lorisul travelers to find their way back home by following the direction of the sounds of a Lorisul festival or song. Something else quite unique (though not very practical for survival) about the Lorisul hearing is that they possess what a zu’aan musician might call a golden ear: they are capable of recognizing, analyzing and replicating complex musical patterns and melodies that they hear, a quality that helps them excel at their musical craft but admittedly not much else.

One other sense that really aids the Lorisul is their sense of smell. They are the bloodhounds of the kin’toni world, able to sense the presence of a zu’aan from miles away (assuming the wind is in their favour) and separate it from the odour a kin’toni would give away. Nevertheless, the Lorisul don’t have the best sense of smell on Taerel, some clans clearly outperform them, but they are without a doubt way above average, and absolutely no match to the zu’aan inhabiting their region. Such strong senses could be put to terrifying use by a military of clans like the Kel’raku or the C’rilaw, so it is kind of a shame that the pacifist Lorisul managed to win the genetic lottery like that.

Culture

Nothing is valued higher in the Lorisul clan’s culture than art and expression. The Lorisul kin’toni themselves believe that art, dance and music were blessings sent down to them by Triul, the deity whom they believe in and worship. By using this blessing to bring life and joy to the world around them, they are also expressing gratitude for this gift. Music is the most important art for the Lorisul though, it is the most advanced form of expression and storytelling that kin’toni can imagine and grasp. It’s common for the Lorisul to compose melodies themselves rather than copying them from the zu’aan.

Since doing the latter robs the music of sentimental value according to the Lorisul kin’toni. They believe that the best work is the work that is created with passion and love. “Music” is a too broad term to describe the activities that the clan’s members engage in though, it’s instead better to split it up into two categories: singing and musical instruments. The former is something done by all Lorisul kin’toni, almost as a way to substitute normal communications. Songs can be used for very mundane purposes, like the ritual chants the clan members do while hunting, or they can be used to tell stories and share ideas.

Which is something that the kin’toni enjoy since it enriches their culture and traditions. As an example, it’s typical that a Lorisul kin’toni will compose and perform a song about a difficult hunt they’ve been through, matching the atmosphere the music creates to the atmosphere of the hunt itself. The especially thrilling hunts will be turned into fast-paced chants, the ones with heavy casualties into emotional laments, it’s a fancier way to communicate literally anything between clan members.Musical instruments play a large role in what it means to be a Lorisul kin’toni as well.

The clan’s members are not limited to their vocal cords for the production and performance of music. Percussive instruments are the most common among the Lorisul, thanks to their ease of creation and use compared to other, more complex instruments. Some simple flutes and stringed instruments have also been manufactured by the Lorisul, but the craft is far from being perfected. Music is not the only form of art that the Lorisul partake in. Dance is another huge one, and a very natural one to enjoy for a clan that also does a lot of singing.

Most importantly though, the dance routines of the Lorisul aren’t just empty fun, they are utilized as a method to spread values, stories and ideas, just like music. As an example, there are battle dances which aim to “act out” a hunt or a battle between two kin’toni clans, they also double as a form of practice for the Lorisul military. What happens almost always is that dance overlaps with acting, so tales and myths can be acted out with a more beautiful, visually pleasing style than merely replicating the actions performed by the characters in the story.

Government

The Lorisul clan seems to be the only one that’s thriving despite being ruled by a monarch. The current king of the Lorisul kin’toni is Iora’in, having only received his position of power a decade ago after the death of the previous king. The system at which a monarch is appointed is quite elaborate and complex though, because kin’toni cannot have children, so the reign simply being passed over through the bloodline doesn’t work like it does with the zu’aan. The very first monarch of the Lorisul was named Louarr, being the sole founder of the Lorisul clan.

After all those years, his biography has mostly been turned into legend, but the system through which the next king after him was appointed still stands to this day. The first zu’aan turned into a kin’toni via a bite of the current Lorisul monarch is next in line to the throne. While it may seem quite easy to implement on paper, figuring out which clan member was the first kin’toni to turn… is an utter pain. Firstly, the king or queen cannot give a definite answer, as they are going to be dead when the next monarch gets appointed (obviously), so the right thing to do is to ask them before their death.

This presents an entire array of problems though. Since the Lorisul are unable to read and write, there’s no way to prove what the late monarch actually said in life, you have to trust the spoken word of his comrades. If two kin’toni witnesses disagree on who the monarch appointed as the next in line, the coronation has to be put on hold until the argument comes to a mutual agreement. What if there are no witnesses though? What if the monarch does not even remember who the first kin’toni to be turned was? This system of government has numerous holes that can be exploited.

Luckily, the Lorisul kin’toni are anything but power-hungry, so they have managed to get through a lot of rulers without such issues arising. Nevertheless, the possibility for the whole process to get messed up is there, and it’s why Iora’in issued an order at the start of his reign that would replace this problematic government system (which really only exists due to the Lorisul valuing traditions) with a democratic voting system for deciding the next ruler of the Lorisul clan. A democracy is too, not without problems, but it’s objectively better than the loose system that could crumble at the slightest obstacle.

However, the Lorisul have no plans for giving some of the power to the kin’toni citizens instead of leaving it all to the ruler. It’s extremely fortunate that none of the leaders have exploited the clan’s members for their own personal gain yet. This miracle could not have happened without the Lorisul culture playing a role though. A dictatorship would simply be awful for a lot of the more violent and greedy clans, yet it works for the Lorisul.

Military

Since the Lorisul do not wage war versus other kin’toni, the only military that they have are the zu’aan hunters. Calling it a military is a bit misleading though, because every kin’toni partakes in hunts one way or another. Some enjoy hunting a lot, and try to join every single hunt they can, while others only hunt when they need to. Every single kin’toni has to go out on hunts once in a while though, and the Lorisul hunters are anything but ill-equipped. Even though the clan doesn’t manufacture weapons, armour and similar objects themselves, the good diplomatic relations allow the Lorisul to have multiple trade partners.

Some of which are willing to exchange their equipment for whichever goods the clan’s kin’toni offers. In the East of Taerel, iron isn’t the most commonplace material, so bronze and copper are the ores that weapons get forged from. The Lorisul do not have a ton of combat training, so they stick to close quarters combat and weapons which excel at it, while also being relatively easy to use. Swords, spears and daggers are commonplace among the Lorisul kin’toni, because they are the ones being imported the most. Bows on the other hand, are a total mystery to this clan, and they don’t wish to spend days slowly improving their archery skills, so they’re not used by the Lorisul at all.

Every hunter in the Lorisul clan has some kind of armour, but the clan’s members dislike the heavy plates that other clans sometimes employ for protection in battles versus other kin’toni. When hunting zu’aan, mobility is king, every piece of armour that lowers the duration the Lorisul can chase by even a minute total is shunned, so the kin’toni prefer light and stretchy armour. Leather is a tough material that doesn’t hamper freedom of movement at all, thus the Lorisul wear leather armour for the majority of their hunts. Any armour is better than no armour at all.

And high-quality leather can both soften a blow from a zu’aan, as well as save a kin’toni’s life by slowing down an incoming arrow. While some kin’toni clans use more equipment for their hunts, the Lorisul just don’t need to. There is no purpose in bringing torches along when the kin’toni have amazing night vision, and maps aren’t typically made by the Lorisul, both because they have not discovered writing, and also because navigating back towards their settlement by sound is miles easier for them. There have been instances where the Lorisul kin’toni brought war drums along to hunts, utilizing them to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

As well as celebrate if the hunt is successful. However, in recent times it has been decided that bringing instruments along merely slows a hunt down significantly, as well as gives away the exact position of the kin’toni. Therefore, war drums aren’t brought along to hunts anymore, though there is no official ban against them, which isn’t surprising as the last thing the Lorisul would forbid is music.

Religion

The Lorisul kin’toni believe in one deity split into three parts, with each part corresponding to some force in Taerel. This deity is called the Triul, and the three entities that make up the Triul are Ur’aena, Decalta and Kel’zal. Decalta is considered to be the ultimate force of good in the Lorisul religion, she was the one who blessed the kin’toni with everything that was “good”, which for the Lorisul kin’toni are things like music, art and the ability to speak. Despite all members of the Triul being equally important, Decalta is the one worshipped the most, something that doesn’t surprise a lot considering her status as the force of nature that created everything that’s good about Taerel.

Ur’aena is the polar opposite to Decalta, she is the goddess of evil, darkness and stillness. Funnily enough, she is not completely “bad”, as without Ur’aena, Decalta would be meaningless, the good can not be appreciated without the bad. If one of the two suddenly perished, the entire world would be thrown into chaos, so balance between Decalta and Ur’aena is very, very crucial. The Lorisul believe that when a kin’toni dies, Ur’aena takes them for herself. However, as she removes a soul from the world, Decalta also sends a new soul into the world.

This is the explanation the Lorisul kin’toni have for the cycle of life and death, and it seems to be solid enough. Kel’zal is a little bit different, he is the force of creation of everything that is balanced, neutral. While Decalta can only create good, and Ur’aena can create only evil, Kel’zat can only create things that are neither. Taerel, for example, was created by Kel’zat, for something like rocks and soil cannot possess a moral alignment. He is the force that binds everything together, because not everything can be shoved inside the categories of Ur’aena and Decalta.

His job may not be as fancy or impressive, but the universe could not function without him according to the Lorisul. According to the Lorisul mythology and legends, everything that exists is in balance and in a cycle of constant reincarnation. There is one little catch though: kin’toni who walk the earth of Taerel and commit evil deeds will not be returned back to Decalta and sent back to the world, because it’s impossible for Decalta to handle and manipulate something that’s evil and corrupt in nature. The only way out for them is to be “recycled” by Ur’aena, and likely turned into something even more cursed and fiendish, falling deeper into this cycle.

The hidden responsibility of every Lorisul kin’toni is to radiate as much good around the world as possible, so that they may end up in the opposite loop, one where they progressively become greater and greater, until they ascend and become demigods themselves.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Lorisul Kin'toni Clan

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