Ormad Kin'toni Clan

History

The Ormad clan came into being when Fara gathered her followers together in Ir’ser. Under her guidance, they took control of the Ir'ser Autumn Taiga and built a village in the heart of the cold forest marsh. She taught them how to use hatchets and hand axes in battle, and how to create net traps in trees and in the shallow muck of the marsh. They began learning how to use the strange terrain to their advantage. As they adapted to their environment, the clan began to utilise tactics that allows them to strike unseen. This began to change their culture as well.

They no longer left the village in large or moderate hunting parties but instead they began to head out individually or in as many as three. Fara’s leadership changed from directly in charge to being one of the many voices guiding the clan. Eventually, the clan dispatched of all forms of hierarchy in favour of everyone working together to benefit the entire clan. Once that occurred the clan began to wear masks when out on a hunt. Fara took this opportunity to further disappear into the rest of the clan by wearing her mask at all times.

Until one day she was able to walk through the village unmasked without being recognised. After that, she became only a legend whispered around the surrounding clans. The clan as a whole became known as hunters who travel as mist across their land. This is due in part to their small hunting numbers and tactics as well as to their choice of clothing to blend in with the fog that often sweeps across the marshes. The clan uses these legends and rumours to hide their numbers and true tactics. In their new culture, the clan began to thrive as they would send hunters out to the neighbouring regions to find prey and strike at rival clans.

Due to their desire to remain hidden in rumours and stories, the clan holds to a rule of striking quick and disappearing however possible. This means they avoid cities and heavily fortified structures. Instead, they stay in natural settings that give them both easy hiding places and multiple ways to escape. This has led to several campaigns by rival clans to eradicate the clan. However, these were unsuccessful and increased the myth surrounding the clans abilities. In fear of retaliation, the neighbouring clans began leaving captive zu'aan as peace offerings.

Originally it was both male and female zu'aan, but they soon discovered that only the females were taken while the men were drained and eviscerated to leave as warnings against making enemies of the clan. In their arrogance, the other clans assumed all the hunters were male and they took the females to add to their clan in other roles. This however is another misdirection from the all female clan. One of the first rules Fara submitted to the clan was that their primary targets for turning should be young women who been through hardship.

Biology

All Ormad clan members have eyes with dark blue irises, white sclera, and the telltale kin'toni trait of crescent pupils. Otherwise, they look nearly indistinguishable from how they looked before they were turned. Due to the cold environment of their home, they have developed thicker and more durable skin to help protect from the cold and the wet of the marshes. This makes them weak to fire and extreme heat in exchange for being able to survive in freezing temperatures without any coverings for many hours. They tend to be lean and muscular with long legs and arms.

However, they are not much taller than before they were turned and suffer no disproportion to their bodies. Their hair is wiry and thick and often worn tied or braided to prevent it from covering their eyes. Heightened sense of hearing and smell allows them to track prey at far distances, but leave them susceptible to loud noises and most strong foul odours. Their feet are unique in that the front part of the sole has extra padding that allows them to make less noise as they move. This leaves the rest of their foot vulnerable to damage from sharp objects.

To prevent issues they tend to walk very carefully. They have trained themselves to survive long periods of time without eating much to prepare for long-distance hunts. This can have an adverse effect on their strength and speed, and they train relentlessly to make up for the disadvantage. And while they don't have to eat, they have to ingest more liquids to compensate. Fast and dexterous, a clan member uses their agility to quickly attack their targets from multiple angles. However, the trade-off is that if they are hit it could cause more damage than usually expected.

This is one of the reasons they often prefer to attack quick and decisive from a hidden position and then escape. Another change the clan has trained into their bodies is the ability to hold their breath for hours in order to sneak through the marshes without making a sound with their breathing. However, a hit to their torso can break their concentration and leave them breathless and open to attacks while dazed. They tend to have great balance and often prefer to grapple their targets before dealing the final blow, using their own momentum to give them the leverage to bring their prey down.

Their fingers and toes have retractable claws to latch into things and slash at their targets but it is painful for them to retract the claws and even more so if the claws get broken. Because of this the claws are used only as a last resort. They have a small ability for mimicry and use it to signal to each other in shrill calls from local animals as well as a way to distract and misdirect any prey that seems to be ready for an attack. They however are unable to mimic the voice of their prey.

Culture

They live in hide tents with fur inner lining to stay warm in the cold forest marsh. Often these tents are splattered with mud and grass and leaves to blend in with their surroundings. While they can withstand the cold, they prefer to wear thick fitted clothes made of furs wrapped in leather. They are often dyed in mottled greys to make it harder to be seen in the marshes. While they often are tunics and pants cut to fit the wearer perfectly, some make little adjustments for style and more often to aid in allowing unhindered movement without fear of the clothes getting caught.

They wear masks designed to prevent easy identification. Often they look like the face of an animal or plant, but some have used smooth featureless masks for the added benefit of scaring their prey. In contrast, they also tend to cover their bodies in blue and white tattooed designs that flow into each other. This is a right of passage that is the only mark of identity as the majority of the clan gives up their names after being turned and trained. As such the designs are hand-drawn by the clan member who will have it tattooed onto their flesh.

The clan is made up entirely of female kin'toni and many have faint scars from their lives before being turned. Many of the designs are often drawn to hide the scars to prevent identification if they are killed on a hunt. The entire clan lives in a single village in the heart of their region. Though they are considered formidable by the neighbouring clans, they are still relatively small due to their preferences in choosing new potential members. As such, every member is equal to each other in every aspect and each does what they can to protect and aid the other members.

Much of their culture is built around preventing the rest of the world from learning much about them. This is out of a sense of wariness that other, larger clans might try to conquer and enslave their members. To prevent discovery they often promote different stories and legends that distort the world’s perception of them. To aid with this they are trained in using various techniques to use their surroundings purely for stealth. Something that carried over from when they were founded by Fara was the mistrust of men and the desire to “save” zu'aan women from the horrors of the world.

Ormad clan members are taught that turning zu'aan women is the only way to save them from any danger. And many have taken to making sure that any encounter with a male zu'aan ends with the now deceased man unable to be turned or easily identified. Another way they hide their identities is by dying their hair muddy grey and keeping it tied back into tight wrapped ponytails, or braiding it close to the scalp and keeping it covered in a wrap. Some have even taken to shaving their heads smooth.

Government

Though originally lead solely by Fara since the clan was founded, the clan currently has no hierarchical structure. Instead every member votes on and proposes different actions for the clan to take as a whole. Even when on a hunt, it is up to the individual members to decide how to respond. This is aided by them rarely going hunting in groups greater than three members. In the village every member is responsible for helping each other survive and thrive. No member is allowed to harm another. Any dispute is handled through witnessed debate.

And is not allowed to end until everything is settled and there is no longer any issue between the two. If a clan member does use physical force against their sister they are taken to the border of the clan’s territory, stripped of their mask and most of their weapons, washed of any dye in their hair, and sent into exile for life. However the exile is only from the territory. Those exiled members are not prevented from calling for aid if needed. The clan refuses to put any member in danger even if they are not allowed to return home. It is against the laws of the clan to turn a male zu'aan.

To prevent this from ever happening, it is customary for a clan member to decapitate any male zu'aan they encounter. However, if they fail to do so and a male gets turned, the male is quickly set on fire and the clan member is exiled for ten years. When encountering a male kin'toni from a different clan it is against the laws of the clan for them to be allowed to get close to the actual village. This law was developed during the time they were having to deal with campaigns into their territory, and had to be ready to move their whole village in case of discovery.

Another such was that no scout into their land is allowed to leave if they encounter a clan member. While they decide clan laws and tactics in a communal vote, the individual choices are weighed not against the clan laws, but rather against the possibility of revealing information about the clan. Everything is built around the idea that the world can never know the truth about the clan. To this end they often send individual warriors to quickly and quietly take out targets who might have stumbled upon information about the clan. Some clan members are also sent to watch and protect any exiled members.

If any member is captured and unable to escape and/or kill their captors, the law mandates that they get themselves killed in a way that makes it impossible for their body to be recovered. This is deemed a grave circumstance and one they wish to prevent. If they get word that one of their members is being overwhelmed, they will send out several members to attempt a rescue. If a rescue is too late and the captured member has killed themself, the rescue party will mourn by savagely slaughtering the captors.

Military

The Ormad clan prefers to use throwing hatchets and heavier hand axes when dealing in direct combat. Other tools they use are nets they hide in the waters of the marshes or set to raise between trees to prevent their prey from escaping. Some even tie their throwing hatchets to a long rope in order to catch and pull their prey closer to them. Though they have no class system or standing army, the clan is completely comprised of capable warriors. Every member of the clan is trained to be effective hunters and killers as well as how to move quickly and silently in their environment.

They also train daily in how to avoid getting hit by an enemy and where on the body it is best to strike to kill as quickly as possible. To avoid detection, they keep their hunting parties at three members or less. These hunters then stalk their target until they are sure they can strike and retreat without any obstacle. They use their small talent to communicate with specific animal calls when working with another clan member. They also use this to create an opening to attack wary opponents. Often they will use the natural fog and surrounding environment to hide their movements and numbers.

Preferring to ambush their targets and disappear shortly after. To such ends they wear mottled grey clothing and masks that blend in with their natural environment. They keep their weapons razor-sharp and clean so they are always effective in battle. They also have memorised the locations of their nets and reset them after every encounter. During hunts that take them beyond their borders they will avoid any walled towns, settlements, or cities. Instead, they will attack when their target is outside and when they can easily escape or remain hidden while attacking.

A major part of their tactics is the spreading of misinformation about themselves. To that end, many will disguise themselves at times and leave some targets barely alive to spread lies about the clan. They also prevent any trespasser to leave once they have encountered a clan member. They will also go to extreme measures to avoid being caught or captured and if escape or rescue is impossible they will kill themselves in a way that prevents their bodies from being able to be recovered or at the very least, recognisable. Some have even set themselves on fire while throwing themselves at their captors to make sure no one survives.

They rely on their speed, their dexterity, and their agility when in close combat with a target. Often aiming to incapacitate their opponent with nets, ropes, and grappling before they strike with an axe. If they are disarmed they with use their retractable claws to savagely dismember their opponent as quickly as possible. However if they are faced with a female opponent, a clan member with attempt to capture them without physically hurting the woman. Often attempting to show the upmost care and respect as they take the woman away.

Religion

The Ormad clan worships the power of the feminine. While they don't practice any specific rituals, they show reverence for any women they meet. They are particularly interested in turning zu'aan women who have been through hardships or abuse. Seeing it as their sacred duty to rescue all zu'aan women from the many dangers in the world, they will go out of their way to be gentle with any zu'aan women they encounter when hunting. They treat these women sweetly and convince them to allow themselves to be turned and to join the clan. This reverence even extends to women from other kin'toni clans.

Though they are unable to bring them into their own clan, they will often spare any other kin'toni females they encounter. They also keep an eye on any of their clan who has been exiled in order to offer aid whenever it is needed. Amongst themselves, they make sure the needs of their sisters are always met and will always lend a hand to those in need. To them, the taking of the life of another woman is the worst thing that can be done, and any who does such a wretched thing must pay with their own life. If the murder was the work of another woman.

The clan will make sure they atone for the crime every day for the rest of their life. They refuse to kill or even harm another woman even if that woman has broken their laws and beliefs. The harshest punishment for any clan member is exile and even then they are seen as members of the clan. Some of the clan members have even taken to wandering the world in search of women to turn or protect. Those turned will often be brought back to the clan. This reverence for women has a reverse aspect at its very core. All Ormad clan members are at the very least wary of any man be they zu'aan or kin'toni.

Some have even grown to despise men and are particularly brutal when killing their male targets. They do not allow any male, living or dead, within their village and see the idea of turning a male as a perversion of all they believe. They will refrain from touching any male unless absolutely necessary and will make sure to thoroughly wash their entire body before setting foot in their village. Male zu'aan are decapitated before they are fed upon in order to prevent the possibility of being turned. Afterwards, they are dismembered and the pieces are left near the territorial borders.

Male kin'toni are slain as quickly as possible and then dismembered and the pieces are burned and buried in the marshes to prevent the possibility of discovery. If a clan member is killed in a hunt their body is quickly recovered and brought back to the village. There they are wrapped in blue-dyed furs and the entire village spends a whole day mourning their loss. They then build a pier and burn the body in the centre of the village at night.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Ormad Kin'toni Clan

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