Ser'cer Kin'toni Clan

History

The history of the Ser’cer kin'toni clan, also known as the Clan of the Bloodrose, dates back to 4E 232. It was founded by a young and beautiful female kin’toni, Ro’shine. Ro’shine was formerly a zu'aan aristocrat before being infected by the kin’toni plague. She despised herself after receiving the curse, but later saw it as a blessing. She kept her ageless beauty and infinite grace as the years passed, not a wrinkle formed on her pretty face. She loved herself more than anything. The name Ser’cer or Bloodrose is a direct reference to the house Ro’shine belonged to. It never carried the name so well until she became a kin’toni.

The Ser’cer kin’toni are a relatively small clan composed only of beautiful kin’tonis. They do not seek expansion as much as immortality. It comprises only twelve members, most of whom are female, with Ro’shine as the charismatic clan leader and head of this secret society. Contrary to all the kin’toni clans, the Ser’cer kin’toni have managed to infiltrate and stay inside the walled city of Alra. They live in secret in intricately decorated residences belonging to the higher class. The Ser’cer clan rarely accepts new members. They only seek to keep living forever in their beautiful bodies.

Over the course of 250 years, the Ser’cer have taken up various identities, pretending to be different people every 20 years or so. The clan, which originally started with only Ro’shine, grew little by little as Ro’shine sought out new clan members. Beautiful zu'aan. She appreciated and admired the beauty of certain zu'aan and would never harm someone as pretty as herself. Instead, she would bless them with eternal youth and immortality by turning them into kin’toni. The Ser’cer kin’toni live in secrecy and discretion, never sparking interest as they stay enclosed in their residence.

They live among the zu'aan and have their way of dissimulating themselves despite the risk of discovery. If the Ser’cer leader had managed to live for 250 years without being discovered, that would simply mean that the Ser’cer are very skilled at playing roles and taking up false identities without arousing suspicion from the zu'aan. It is a dangerous but thrilling game for the Ser’cer. They are historically known as the seductive and charming kin’toni, even if their clan is unknown to zu'aan. A secret society born among the enemy. There are only few rumors about the Ser’cer or Bloodrose clan among the zu'aan higher class.

Tales of beautiful vampiric beings that sewed their way into the aristocracy. None of the members of the Ser’cer clan have died up till now. They wish to live different lives for centuries to come and feed only to survive, appreciating the beauty of life and the excitement a new identity can create. The thrill of never being caught despite being at the heart of enemy territory is what excites them. They want to be the most ancient and beautiful kin’tonis to have graced Taerel and strive to preserve their eternal beauty.

Biology

The Ser’cer kin’toni have very beautiful and refined features. While it is possible for them to have more ordinary features, the Ser’cer only convert beautiful zu'aan into kin’toni, thus preserving the identity of the clan as one of beauty and vanity. Their eyes have red irises with white sclerae and horizontal slit pupils. Their scarlet eyes are like rubies and are very attractive and unusual at the same time. Their skin is more pale than any ordinary zu'aan and they often have to wear make-up to make it look more rosy. Nonetheless, even without make-up, they look like very fair-skinned zu'aan and many are attracted to the fairness of their skin.

The Ser’cer kin’toni do not present too many dissimilar features from zu'aan aside from the color of their skin and distinct scarlet eyes. They have sharp canines that are not too long and many think that they have ordinary teeth, except that the canines are sharper than usual. Their teeth are all pale white like pearls and they have a ravishing smile. Many would not mind being bitten by a Ser’cer, figuratively speaking. The bodies of the Ser’cer kin’toni are all svelte and tall, with men being naturally taller than women. Even a zu'aan of shorter stature grows taller when they are transformed into kin’toni.

Their lank builds are not meant for combat and the Ser’cer use their beautiful appearance to charm and seduce instead. Most of the clan’s chosen kin’tonis have oval-shaped faces, almond-shaped eyes, straight noses and full lips or thin lips. Their features are different enough to demark them from one another. Their hair, like any zu'aan, can be of different colors from red to black or brown to blonde. They do not have any freckles or spots on their faces and have very smooth and soft skin. The men cannot grow beards and some have almost feminine facial features.

Their fingernails are fairly human except for their blue tinge. Male and female kin’tonis both have to put on some nail varnish to hide the blueness of their nails and make them appealing to their zu'aan prey. Their fingers are long and thin and they have long appealing legs and very thin waists. The women have naturally large hips and an hourglass figure while the men have broad shoulders and a V-shaped figure.They are all good-looking. The Ser’cer kin’tonis have to keep a zu'aan-like appearance to blend with the crowd and seduce prey. They have not evolved too much over 250 years.

They do not have ultra hearing or night vision and their fighting capabilities are limited. However, they have natural charm and intuition which allows them to find prey easily or avoid danger. It is like a sixth sense that they developed during their evolution as kin’toni. Their sense of touch, compared to most kin’tonis from other clans, is very refined. They can feel the emotions of their prey simply by touching them and know who is in love or who is dubious by sensing the temperature of their bodies.

Culture

The Ser’cer Kin’toni clan or Clan of the Bloodrose has a very refined culture. Its aristocratic culture was preserved from the golden age of the Xerea Empire because the head of the clan, Ro’shine, was a former female zu'aan aristocrat. As a result the Ser’cer usually dress in finery, with long refined gowns for females and fine suits for males. They like wearing red to represent the Bloodrose but only do so on special occasions, namely on the birth date of Ro’shine. She is in the present age about 266 years old. She became a kin’toni when she was sixteen.

The culture of the Ser’cer is not too different from that of zu'aan aristocrats. They have preserved the ballroom meetings and educated mannerisms, always keeping a graceful demeanor and eloquent speech. Beautiful but less educated Ser’cer kin’tonis are taught the ways of the aristocracy by the clan leader, Ro’shine, herself. All Ser’cers know how to speak fluent and refined zu'aan and have adapted their language to that of the zu'aan over the span of 250 years. Writing and orating is second nature for Ser’cer kin’tonis. They all know how to read, write and speak eloquently.

They despise the barbaric nature of some of the other kin’toni clans they hear of from the zu'aan common folk or in hearsay. Beauty, grace, elegance, passion. Those are concepts valued among the Ser’cer and are deeply rooted in their culture. Without those, it is pointless to live according to them. If one does not love oneself, how can one live for eternity? Only the beautiful merit to bear eternal youth as per their teachings. It is not rare for the Ser’cer to have several zu'aan lovers. But oftentimes, they are killed by the Ser’cer when they are still young, especially if they are not beautiful enough and start aging.

The Ser’cer value inner beauty as much as their physical beauty. Not all pretty zu'aan become kin’toni. The Ser’cer specifically look for trusted members who will not destroy or reveal their secret society to the zu'aan. Zu’ann who are willing to accept eternal youth as a blessing and who consent into becoming kin’tonis are welcome into the Ser’cer clan. But building such trust is very difficult and the Ser’cer always fear there might be traitors among them. The Ser’cer Kin’toni clan has adapted its culture to that of the zu'aan. They will often disguise themselves in fine clothes of different colors and wear cloaks or masks to hide their beauty.

They go out at night in bars, celebrations, ballrooms or feasts to meet new prey. They engage in witty and deep banter with unsuspecting zu'aan and lure them to isolated places in the dead of night. They reveal glimpses of their beauty to their future victims,promising them a night of love and passion. The prey are enthralled by the beauty and charm of the Ser’cer and let their guard down. Until a soft sensual kiss on the neck becomes a lethal bite.

Government

The Ser’cer kin’tonis are governed by the head of the clan, Ro’shine. She is the mistress of the secret Bloodrose society and acts as the governor. The 11 other members act as officials. The role of the clan is to provide for the comfort and well-being of its members. They live lavishly, surrounded by treasures and expensive decorations from days past. And a constant supply of blood, which they drink like fine wine.The governor, Ro’shine, is in charge of giving directives to the clan members, defining their role in the Ser’cer clan. The 11 members simply act as officials who carry out missions given by Ro’shine.

Those missions or tasks involve amassing riches and influence in zu'aan and even forming accords with zu'aan who are willing to overlook their nature as kin’toni in exchange for power and influence among the zu'aan aristocracy. As immortals, the Ser’cer have amassed riches over 250 years which no zu'aan could possibly dream of acquiring in one lifetime. The Ser’cer form shady deals with some zu'aan from the aristocracy in exchange for fresh blood. They have connections with the oldest houses of zu'aan, some even related by blood to Ro’shine or house Ser’cer.

There are 250 years of trust between those zu'aan aristocrats and the Ser’cer clan and they agree on terms and conditions created 250 years ago. That is how the Ser’cer clan has survived for so long without ever revealing themselves. The zu'aan government of the Alra city-state does not know of the existence of the Ser’cer clan. The government of Ser’cer is a shadow government, which manipulates high-ranking zu'aan Alra city-state officials and governors by pulling their strings. The Ser’cer officials, who are always masked or cloaked during their meetings with the zu'aan Alra city-state government officials, use their wit and knowledge of politics to impress zu'aan governors, providing secret advice.

They hope to one day overturn the zu'aan government of the Alra city-state and help other powerful kin’toni brethren in the process to create a world where kin’tonis rule and zu'aan serve as food and slaves. The secret clan of the Ser’cer are however happy where they are. Ro’shine’s ambitions and dreams to have the zu'aan be her slaves and cattle is ever present. But the Ser’cer will bide their time to build influence and power at the heart of zu'aan’s Alra city-state. They have an eternity to do so and they prefer to live rich lives filled with passion instead of fulfilling Ro’shine’s ambitions.

Some of the officials in the Ser’cer clan are less political and more military. One such official, Sh’wora, is in charge of assassinating zu'aan men who are too powerful. She will not drink their blood even if tempted to do so, but will use weapons such as daggers and poisons to keep up the impression that it was zu'aan political rivals who killed those in power. The lesser officials are simply in charge of upkeeping the Ser’cer house rules or accounting, keeping track of the clan’s treasury and making sure that fresh humans are supplied to them.

Military

The Ser’cer kin’tonis do not have a strong military or army of any kind. They rely solely on some of their military officials who are mostly in charge of assassins. Sh’wora and Ra’vir are two of the officials in charge of assassination. Some of the other officials are chemists who create and concoct poisons. They still fall under the tutelage of the military officials. Not all the officials are military. But those who are know the art of assassination very well, having practiced it for a century. One of the military assassins, Sh’wora, has other assassins under her command.

She is always masked, never revealing her true name and face before the zu'aan assassin apprentices. She rarely risks her life to kill a target, instead using zu'aan assassins to do her bidding. The military works in the shadows, in cloak and dagger styled combats and fights. They are subtle and sleek, but kill mostly unarmed targets, infiltrating their home stealthily or luring them in isolated and dark places in the middle of the night to snuff out their life. There are dozens of zu'aan assassins under the command of the Ser’cer military.

None know who their master is, only assassinating to receive a handsome sum of money for their services. The Ser’cer military is very unorthodox, relying solely on taking down dangerous or powerful foes by striking them down directly instead of commanding an army to fight for them. Striking the heart of the enemy instead of going through the long and difficult wars is more effective and efficient. The Ser’cer military is not only about assassination however. They also broke and trade information about the enemy to those willing to pay for such knowledge.

The military is also a spying agency. They know the secrets of the zu'aan aristocracy and government in the Alra city-state. Knowledge of the enemy can only translate to power for the Ser’cer and they know the inner workings of zu'aan government of the Alra city-state by heart. Ser’cer military’s goal is to protect their clan from potential traitors or zu'aan politicians and aristocrats who are far too intelligent and powerful for their own good. Those who can suspect or see through the Ser’cer kin’tonis plans are often high-priority targets and are disposed of as quickly as possible.

The military ensures that secrecy is maintained for the survival of the clan. The military officials bear a blood red brooch shaped as a rose as a sign of their commitment to the clan. It represents their important role as defenders of the clan and they are awarded those ruby brooches by their leader Ro’shine. The military quarter is a large secret room where tactics are formed and letters written to change the tides of politics. The Bloodrose insignia is printed on the carpets and drapes on the walls of the room. The weapons used by the assassins are small poisoned daggers or poisonous pins that they can dissimulate easily under the sleeves of their coats or cloaks.

Even if the targets somehow survive their assault, they will perish a slow but sure death with the poison coursing through their veins. They also have miniscule vials of poisons that they tip in the drinks of their victims.

Religion

Ser’cer religion is centered around the zu'aan goddess of beauty and youth. Ro’shine, the clan leader, has however called herself the new goddess of beauty, believing she is the new incarnation of the goddess. The zu'aan goddess of beauty and youth is believed to be immortal and eternally young and beautiful. Ro’shine assumes that the goddess is in reality a kin’toni because they never age. She formed a new religion around her and claims to be the new goddess of beauty and youth. Or at least an avatar of her. Religious practices involve praising statues or paintings of the zu'aan goddess, now viewed as a kin’toni goddess.

The zu'aan goddess has been reimagined to fit the image of the kin’toni, which would be more accurate since Ser’cer kin’toni naturally stay young and beautiful. They praise her as well as Ro’shine as the goddesses of beauty, Ro’shine being her physical incarnation on Taerel. The goddess is depicted as having scarlet eyes, red hair and pale skin. There are several canticles about her which are sung by Ro’shine in her beautiful voice. Another practice involves having blood baths. The blood baths are done from time to time to renew the beauty of the Ser’cer or make them even more beautiful.

The Ser’cer kill their victims and deplete them of their blood in a large tub or basin where they can bathe. In another ritual, drinking blood from a goblet or cup symbolizes draining life from zu'aan to renew life in the kin’toni and preserving their youth. The color red is the color of blood and is a sacred color for the Ser’cer kin’tonis. Women wear red gowns or and men wear red suits on special occasions and religious rituals. They also adorn themselves with rubies and red stones because they represent the goddess and are symbols of beauty and youth.

Ro’shine wears a crown of rubies at all times just like the statues of the kin’toni goddess of beauty. Since all the Ser’cer kin’toni are aristocrats they shamelessly wear red jewels, ruby bracelets, necklaces and rings. Even if the sun is lethal to the kin’tonis, they do not mind the light of flames and candles. To them the red or orange flames accentuate their beauty. They often associate fire with the color red which is seen as a sacred element. They light up candles and torches and lamps during religious celebrations. The reflection of the light from fires make the rubies and red jewels they wear shine even brighter.

Their crimson eyes also shine like rubies when the firelight reflects in them and their pale skin looks less pale in the fire’s warm glow. Marriage is a religious option but most of the Ser’cer kin’tonis are not married due to their small clan which consists of only 12 members. There is only one couple, that being Ro’shine and her handsome and faithful kin’toni husband. Most do not see the point of marriage since they cannot reproduce or have children. For those who do, it is more like a blood pact in which the two betrothed kin’toni have to mix their bloods by slicing their palm slightly and mixing their blood with that of their lover.

It is a symbol of undying love and trust, a pact that cannot be undone.

Miscellany

Fun fact about Ro’shine, the leader of the Ser’cer clan. She enjoys eating red fruits as much as drinking blood. The red fruits do not satiate her hunger but only serve as appetizers. She sometimes mixes the red fruits with blood during ceremonies.

Fun fact about Sh’wora, the first military official. She is more beautiful than Ro’shine but always hides her face behind a mask to veil her beauty and avoid arousing jealousy. She is the only woman who does not wear a gown instead wearing a suit like the Ser’cer men.

Fun fact about Ra’vir, the second military official. He is a spy who uses charm and wit to acquire information from zu'aan. He is however more of a jokester around the ladies of the clan, cracking jokes all the time. He takes his job very seriously however.

Fun fact about the Ser’cer. They live like a sisterhood and brethren, except for Ro’shine and her husband Ta’lor. The two are like lovebirds around one another. The others wonder when they will have their soulmate. They dream of a charming prince or a pretty princess. Or at least a good-looking aristocrat. Which is rare.

Fun fact about the ancient house Ser’cer or Bloodrose. They named their house after the bloodroses of zu'aan because they had a garden full of bloodroses. Bloodroses are flowers with dark red petals and black thorns. Ro’shine kept the old insignia of her family even after becoming a kin’toni.

Fun fact about Ta’lor. He used to be a real playboy before being converted into a kin’toni. He was not an aristocrat, more of a common folk. Ever since Ro’shine made him into a kin’toni, to which he consented, he swore loyalty to her. He wants to love her for eternity.

Fun fact about the other 8 Ser’cer members. There is a chemist, a treasurer, an information broker. There is a skilled thief among them who steals treasures at night. The others take up free roles such as negotiator, trader or any role the clan needs really. They all are passionate about what they do even if their personality differs from one another.

Fun fact about the zu'aan goddess of beauty and youth. She was originally blonde and blue-eyed. The kin’toni changed her looks based on Ro’shine’s physical appearance. Red eyes, red hair. They basically praise statues of Ro’shine since the kin’toni goddess statues are based on her looks.

Fun fact about Ser’cer garments and make-up. The Ser’cer dress like zu'aan aristocrats, sometimes dressing in more common clothes to go to bars and small celebrations to find common folk. They like using the seductive abilities and do not always rely on the zu'aan aristocrats they are affiliated with to give them their blood supply. Both men and women wear make-up. Women like painting their lips with red and put on rose powder on their cheeks and using red nail varnish. The men use rose powder too to make them look more like zu'aan and often use pink nail varnish.

Nearby Groups

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Ser'cer Kin'toni Clan

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