Phaigh Kin'toni Clan

History

The Phaigh Clan arose as an offshoot of the Rodia Kin'toni Clan. This clan is relatively young. Founder A’eal left the Rodia’s 100 years prior to isolate herself from the fighting and bloodshed. A’eal was takenfrom her zu'aan tribe as a young woman. She was the beautiful daughter of zu'aan nobility and had been in the process of being groomed for marriage. Even though the marriage had been arranged by her parents to cement a peace treaty between her tribe and a neighboring tribe. She had fallen deeply in love with her intended Hi’ur. A’eal firmly believed in her family’s vision and eagerly awaited her marriage.

Her family’s goal was to unity within the zu'aan community so they could drive out and defeat the kin'toni and usher in an Age of Restoration. A’eal was devastated by her capture. She felt she had failed her people and without her marriage the fragile treaty was in danger. A’eal mourned the loss of Hi’ur deeply. She refused to accept her new identity and harbored a deep disgust for consuming blood. Even though the Rodian mainly consumed animal blood, the sheer volume of blood they hoarded to secure their own survival haunted A’eal. During her grooming period she quickly learned to control her thirst for blood..

Due to her prominent status she was never allowed to move between the kin'toni and zu'aan communities. This was for fear she would be recognized. A few years past while she acclimated herself to her new powers. She stayed to herself quietly allowing the power to control her urges to grow. She then publicly scorned her fellow Rodia, swore a hunger strike and struck out into the isolated mountains in the south far from the other tribes. Word rapidly spread and fellow kin'toni male and as well as female. They were disillusioned with their own fates, joined her along the way.

Once she arrived in the Ru’el Mountains their numbers had grown to hundreds of followers. Under her direction they built a fortified village, that she named Rhat high in the mountains further isolating themselves from kin'toni and zu'aan alike. She then authored a manifesto of peace called Truel that all of her followers were sworn to abide by. Through their study of the Truel they developed a deep need to record the old history and now scour the land for tales and relics from time before the insurrection. Phaigh are trained to move silently through the other communities.

Hiding their identity in order to obtain new relics and take them to the safety of Rhat. Subsequently, the Phaigh have built an enormous library that rivals the tales of the great library of ancient Mah'hae'daar. As a tribe the Phaigh share a deep distaste for the bloodlust and warring ways of the other clans. Phaigh’s are scholarly and consider themselves more refined than the other heathanistic, bloodthirsty kin'toni tribes. They have a passion for the lost history of the Golden Technological Age of the of Zu'aan. The Phaigh are determined to see peace restored to Taerel.

Biology

This tribe is distinguished by their pink irises with white sclerae and crescent pupils. They have the lightest eyes of all of the kin'toni groups. Over the generations Phaigh’s have trained their bodies to only feed when necessary which leaves them able to go as many as 34 days between feedings; only feeding on rodents. Feeding on zu'aan is expressly prohibited and any individual caught feeding from a zu'aan source would be immediately banned from the community and never allowed to return. The power to go so many days without feeding instills fear in the other clans.

In a world of unnatural entities, they are looked at by their counterparts as oddities to be feared. Infrequent feedings slow their body processes similarly to an animal during hibernation. The blood moves slowly through their body leaving them even colder to the touch than most kin'toni. With such a slow metabolism of nutrients, the hair totally loses its color. The group is further distinguished by its pale hair. The porcelain skin known to the kin'toni is heightened by deep blue veins that have become shockingly prominent beneath the silky soft skin, leaving their members with an augmented ethereal pallor.

Muscles also harden which leaves Phaigh much stronger than would be expected. The exceptionally pale, marbled skin, light pink irises, hair devoid of any color and hardened musculature make an extremely otherworldly look that is likened to the tales of angels from the days before the outbreak. The differences between male and female are blurred giving an androgenous look. Individuals are difficult to distinguish between so the Phaigh have adopted ritualic tattooing of their faces. This differentiation is the only way most outsiders can tell one from another.

Infrequent feedings also cause Phaighs to speak softly in low, hushed tones, almost in a whisper and move with a slow, languid grace. The unique biology created by transforming their hunger for blood into a hunger for knowledge has heightened the overall mental ability of the Phaigh. Days and days of extended hunger cause madness in other kin'toni. The Phaigh mastered self regulation and turned potential madness into exceptional genuis. Many individuals are said to have a form of telepathy. Able to anticipate another’s thought is mistakenly seen as an ability to actually read another’s mind.

This inaccuracy is not one the Phaigh are eager to correct. They foster any belief that increases the stigma that surrounds their tribe as it guarantees they will be feared and will therefore be left alone to follow their hunt for knowledge. Their numbers are increased not by turning zu'aan but by taking members of like mind from other tribes. Tales of disillusioned kin'toni often reach the Phaigh and recovery parties are sent out to free such individuals. Once they arrive to the safety of Rhat they are placed in a sort of quarantine while their fledgling powers are honed.

While quarantine individuals’ hair and irises gradually lighten. Only after their bloodlust has abadated are they allowed to join the general population of Rhat.

Culture

The Phaigh is a matriarchal society. The leaders have always been women, following the tradition begun by their founder A’eal. Her sacrifice and strength are revered and excess in any form is frowned upon. It is a common belief that if she could give up so much for the betterment of the world sacrifices in their daily lives were small prices to pay. Intellect and restraint are valued over all other attributes within this community. They only take what they need and as such their living quarters are sparse, almost Spartan in nature. They live plainly having only the basic items needed for survival.

Their rooms containing only a bed to sleep during daylight hours, basic clothing and a desk which takes up the majority of their living space. The only exception to the sparsity of their living conditions are the vast amounts of books each individual keeps. Reading was nearly lost after the insurrection. War and fighting had eradicated the drive to learn, record history and the importance in educating the new generations: as has happened time and time before in the dark ages of the zu'aan. The Phaigh were largely responsible for bringing it back as being educated was not only scorned in the other tribes.

But individuals were known to be driven out were it to be found out they could read. The Phaigh knew the inherent importance of recording history for the betterment of mankind and utilized their isolation from the other tribes to further this pursuit. The Phaigh clan is inherently different from the other tribes in that they war only to maintain their own safety. Their independence and freedom to live in solitude pursuing truth is defended with a voracity one would not expect of such a scholarly group. Long hours recreating the past, which includes studying battles of the past.

This allows their warriors to be trained with a keen tactical ability. It is not a bloodlust for but just means to an end. The clan spends the majority of their nightly hours pouring over and written documents as they slowly piece together Taerel’s past, before the outbreak. They live by the hope that the world could again live in peace and by gathering relics from the past, future peace can be attained. Almost friendly in nature despite their battle prowess, they are the exception in the kin'toni. Meetings of the mind are extremely important. Phaigh enjoy the company of each other.

And have a strong sense of community that is cemented by their common goals and ideologies: as opposed to the other tribes that on the whole only band together out of necessity. This community lacks the traditional backstabbing and political posturing. That usually accompanies individuals working for their own personal gain. It is implicitly understood that they are only as strong as their weakest link. Cooperation and rallying around a common goal keep them a tight knit group .In an age where chaos reigns the Phaigh pride themselves on their unity. To outside eyes this band of kin'toni would nearly seem like a family.

Each member working for the good of the entire group as well as all of their kind.

Government

This matriarchal clan prides themselves on being a Democracy. They call themselves a Democracy but the system more closely resembles a Republic. The system resembles a Democracy as closely as the kin'toni could approximate with the limited historical documents that remained after the insurrection. While the government is more progressive and unilaterally fair than other governments in the society. It lacks the hierarchy traditionally seen in Democracies as a single leader is chosen by majority vote. Being a matriarchal society only female leaders are chosen from among their ranks, serving terms of a decade at a time.

Seeing that the clan was started by a female, A’eal, the tradition is continued. Female leaders are thought to be more fair, more level headed and overall a better choice to lead in this type of unique society. Leaders are chosen via majority rule but surprisingly there are no other government leadership positions. The female leader is known simply by their name, with no official title. She also serves as the head of the Phaigh military. The government and military are funded solely from bounty seized during wars and skirmishes. The tribe then uses these items to fund the purchase.

And retrieval of new relics as well as purchase weapons for their own defense. As stated there is not a traditional hierarchy of power within this community as each member's opinion and values are equal. It would be seen as distasteful and go against the grain of unity to have individuals vying for political power. The Phaigh consider their time being better spent in the pursuit of knowledge that could further the zu'aan. True majority rules and peace is prized above all else. Unrest in any capacity is not tolerated in the Phaigh clan. If a leader were seen to be unfit the tribe would swiftly vote the leader out.

And the individual would, in most cases, be banned indefinitely from returning to the group. To fail the group by making foolish or rash decisions being intolerable. The community places immense importance on the fact that leaders are granted the trust and support of the community. Any such leader who would be forced to step down would willingly leave, ashamed and disgraced by their failure. The lines between religion and government are blurred further by the fact that the religious document the Truel is recognized as the constitution of the group as well. The Phaigh share the common ideology of a utopian society that was drawn out by A’eal in the Truel.

Where most of the kin'toni clans sought to destroy the zu'aan, the Phaigh realized that the only way the world would be pulled out of the darkness would be to forge a peace between the Kin’Toni and the zu'aan. The only way to accomplish that is by a deep, all consuming, dedication to the cause that can override the biological urges of the kin'toni. The fact that individuals choose to enter this tribe allows a more cooperative environment and as such this means that the government has absolute universality and complete cooperation of all tribe members.

Military

While one would assume that a society of kin'toni would thrive on fighting, war and bloodshed, the members of the Phaigh are for the most part peace loving. Their relentless pursuit of knowledge leaves no spare time for bloodsport. They disdain the fighting and therefore protect their peace at all cost. They will strike down anyone who threatens it, whether it be kin'toni or zu'aan. The Phaigh’s military is known for their fierce and cunning military prowess. Conflict with this clan is generally avoided. For the Phaighs war is seen only as a necessity: means to an end.

Though they love peace they will strike out against any clan with malicious intent towards them. They are considered to be the most ruthless of the tribes. This military looks like no other. The female leader of the community serves as head of the military as well. Every individual in the community is a member of the army, were a battle to erupt. No one questions the need to fight. They respond with complete cooperation and enthusiasm. The Phaigh show up to battle with the bare minimum of battle gear and weapons. They were the same, plain clothing that they were day to day.

It is almost as if the battle is an afterthought. Common ideology makes all of the citizens know that their place is to support any decision made by the leader. Because of that they are a brutal foe. The ability, honed by the Phaigh to anticipate other’s thoughts, allows them to move seamlessly on the battlefield. They work in unison, akin to a swarm of ants or bees that descend upon an enemy. The ability to anticipate the thoughts of others allows them to move as a group swiftly and nearly silently. For the most part battles with the Paigh are ambushes with the enemy defeated by surprise.

Whomever is unlucky enough to face battle with the Phaigh is quickly overwhelmed and mercilessly defeated. Anything of value is seized, not just the traditional spoils of war. The Phaigh take everything. Enemy cities are left totally decimated. Buildings are destroyed once they have been scavenged for any useful building materials. The Phaigh believe that whomever was foolish enough to cross them should be punished and made an example to the other clan. Enemies that escape battle alive are left to perish by burning alive in the sunlight. The scholarly nature of this group also put them at an advantage to the other clans.

Each battle is studied in depth and recorded. Mistakes are dissected so that future skirmishes will be move successful. The Phaigh army is deeply feared. As a clan, there is so much mystery surrounding their ability to control the need to feed. Their otherworldly look and the calm, collected way they fight heighten the cold, calculating reputation they have earned. For that reason, most tribes refuse to engage in battle with them. Although the zu'aan know that the Phaigh do not seek battle, they still avoid conflict with the clan. This leaves the clan able to enjoy long periods of peace.

Religion

Modern Phaigh worship their founder A'eal as a god. The story of her capture and exodus from the Rodia were chronicled along with her ideologies in the Truel. She worked tirelessly with first members to record her history and whatever history of the world before in insurrection that they could find in the hopes that new generations would learn from the mistakes of their ancestors. Modern Phaigh begin their initiation into the tribe by committing the Truel to memory. A ceremony is held once the initiate masters their need to feed where they commit themselves fully to the tribe.

Ceremonies of peace are celebrated throughout the year. The Phaigh hold no less than seven of these ceremonies. This is the time they feed as a community. They feed amongst one another, taking only enough blood to allow them to live another 34 days. Any more is seen as a sign of greed and a warning that the individual does not have their urges under control. Rodents are gathered during the days in between ceremonies and kept alive in a large, communal type of barn. The tribe takes their rodent sacrifices into the ceremonial hall and a ritual of thanks to A'eal for providing is performed before the feeding begins.

These celebrations are the exception to the Phaighs austere life and no expense or extravagance is spared in honoring the Supreme A’eal. The relics of the past are displayed for all to look upon. The plain clothing worn for all other times, including battle, is cast aside for bright, well cared for robes that are created from remnants of clothing seized from battles with other tribes. Self restraint is cast aside as they laugh, dance and allow themselves to feed the biological urges of their bodies. Just like in battle, they move in unison, singing in beautiful harmony.

Their usually low, hushed voices sing in a clear, loud, cadence. Being able to anticipate one another's thoughts allows them the need to not have true written songs and melodies. They are unique creations to each and every ceremony. These wildly abandoned rituals deepen the mystery and fear that surround the clan. Rumors of the Phaigh rituals float through the other clans helping to feed the fear that surrounds them. Their spirituality is rooted in their intellectual abilities and as such the rituals practiced are all based on expanding their minds and learning. In essence their religion is to glorify the pursuit of knowledge and the education of their people.

Each time a new relic is found the Phaigh all gather together to give thanks and pay homage to A’eal. The Phaigh set themselves apart by becoming masters of their environment. Each individual in the group did not choose their fate. They were turned into kin'toni against their will under terrible circumstances. Through that and their dedication to becoming a member of this group of scholars they have tipped the balance power back into their own hands. Through devoted study they hope to end the reign of chaos and eventually bring peace back into the world.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Phaigh Kin'toni Clan

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