Calun Kin'toni Clan

History

The Calun kin'toni Clan is a tribe of craftsmen and traders born of their founder, Marikoth Calun. Marikoth was considered a high society merchant that contracted vampirism while traveling trade routes normally considered safe and unexposed. His family, still healthy zu'aan, took him into their home to shield his condition and discuss a possible cure. Through time and exposure, his entire family ultimately contracted the disease and turned into kin'toni themselves. His initial household was made up of several members that all assisted with his trade operations amongst the zu'aan.

Elashor Calun, his respected wife. Klaern Calun, his eldest son. Kharis Calun, his youngest son. Ettrian Calun and Ettrial Calun, his twin daughters and youngest children. Ryo Calun and Silvyr Calun, his older brothers. Elephon Calun, his father. Varitan Pahorn and Valfina Pahorn, his father and mother-in-law. Fenian Pahorn, his brother-in-law. And Fayrith Pahorn, his sister-in-law. From the eldest member, Elephon Calun (his father), to the youngest, Ettrian Calun and Ettrial Calun (the twin girls), all members assisted in trade and all of them fell to the disease that was slowly decimating the zu'aan.

Before guards of the nearby zu'aan city could discover their fates, the Calun loaded their caravans with crafts, bloodroot, and their many wares and began traveling in hopes of staying hidden through anonymity. Over time and through past contacts that valued the Calun family, Marikoth managed to keep his people alive and functioning as merchant craftsmen. Their caravan became caravans and formed a nomadic moving city that never stayed in one place for more than a day. Over time their clan grew, building their numbers through turned traders and slaves offered in exchange for wares.

Like most kin'toni clans, newly turned members kept the surname Calun and considered themselves descendants of the great Merchant King, Marikoth Calun himself. The Calun are considered some of the more civilized of the Kin’toni, and although zu'aan do not officially approve of their business, they are generally accepted as valued trade partners and even have designated camp locations near all major zu'aan cities and tribes. After the death of several key members of the original Calun family, including Marikoth himself, a unique form of government formed praising the eldest members of the tribe.

Although the council does include two of the original family members, Elashor (Marikoth’s wife) and Ryo (his eldest brother), many of the Elders are now turned Caluns who value greed and wealth over the safety of the clan as a family. Despite Elashor Calun’s wisdom and the respect that she garners, she is progressively losing control of the clan itself. Their name is already tarnished amongst some of the zu'aan. Many of the more devious Elders have been known to lead their individual groups into cities to feast on taken blood rather than what is traded to them.

Elashor is attempting to mend these broken relationships, but to no avail. Soon with the encroaching ice and the dwindling number of zu'aan, she is sure that even their civil and prosperous clan will fall.

Biology

The Calun kin'toni Clan is one of the more humanoid strands of the vampirism disease. The Caluns have maintained their civilized appearance and can often pass as zu'aan when near zu'aan tribes and cities. The only characteristic that immediately reveals their true and dangerous nature are their mutated eyes. When open and visible the Calun kin'toni Clan’s eyes have deep red irises with a black sclerae and horizontal rectangular pupils. The original lineage of the natural born Calun family consists of genes that leave descendants with dark black to medium brown hair, wide, oval eyes, and large, hooked noses.

Pahorn women descended from Varitan Pahorn and Valfina Pahorn have lean figures, dark brown hair, and freckles. Calun kin'toni that are turned rather than born into the original merchant family vary in genetic mutations. Their hair color and styles range from dark black all the way to light blonde. Their noses, eyes, chins, ears, and other physical attributes also vary depending on their original zu'aan lineage. The Calun kin'toni Clan’s continuous contact with zu'aan society has also left them literate, well spoken, and well cultured. Their language has not changed or evolved, and they maintain the accents and euphemisms of their zu'aan forefathers.

However, mutations are not unheard of in current years. The more recently turned Calun kin'toni that are born of some of the youngest elders and Arbitrers on the council keep more and more of their zu'aan appearance. Instead of maintaining the inherent deep red irises and black sclerae with horizontal rectangular pupils of their ancestors, younger Caluns are being turned and reborn with oval pupils, deep red irises, and white sclerae. The Caluns use this new age of unmutated Kin’toni as the trustworthy face of their caravans and wares. These kin'toni are called the Young Ones.

This new generation of Caluns is unstable, however. The Chief Arbitrer, Elashor Calun (wife of the great Merchant King, Marikoth Calun), spends most of her time quelling the growing fears of their zu'aan trading partners. Many Young Ones have been discovered performing rogue activities and taking the blood of zu'aan citizens in secret. Several of the older Arbitrers hypothesize that there must be a recent mutation in the Young Ones’ motivations and the inhibiting mechanics of their brains. Although when normally referring to anything young in zu'aan society automatically includes these attributes, among the kin'toni it is unheard of.

The Merchant King and his Council of Elders do not and did not make hurried decisions in who they chose to turn among the zu'aan hopefuls. They analyzed and discussed each recruit in detail and considered what contributions an individual would make to their clan of tradesmen. It is because of these highly specified requirements that wise elders such as Elashor Calun have begun to wonder if these recent acts should be blamed on the naivety of youth or something more instinctive and sinister. Perhaps it is possibly a biological mutation on a more microscopic level that is being altered and corrupted by the disease itself.

Culture

Culturally the Calun Kin’Toni Clan is the most akin to their zu'aan ancestors. They have maintained their speech, accents, lore, and ideals through years of interaction and trade. Age and wisdom are often celebrated and revered among the Jastanas. Several times a year they stop their caravans not to pursue trade but to revel in their own success and wealth as a group and pay homage to their once great leader. Their respect for these ideals is clearly shown in their practiced form of government and their endless revelry of their fallen idol, the Merchant King (Marikoth Calun).

Despite the threatening oncoming mutations and changes in the Young Ones, age buys many of the Calun respect and authority. Even though as a society they function as traders and major financial bodies, culturally and respective of each other the Calun are more of a socialist regime. Wisdom and age buy you power, but no matter your position in the government all Calun share and prosper in the caravan’s wealth and success. The caravan moves as one and lives as one.

In years past, the Council of Elders was the epitome of achievement and status amongst the Calun Clan.

All members strove to immolate their example. In recent years, especially after the death of the Merchant King (Marikoth Calun), that same blind respect and awe has begun to fade. The Young Ones are introducing new ideals of greed, lust, and selfishness. They act on their own desires and for themselves rather than for the sake of the clan. More banishing and execution of members have taken place in recent years than throughout the rest of the years since the clan’s creation. Because of the Young Ones’ sudden rise in influence and damning teachings the other Jastanas have begun to change.

This change began not through the same suggested mutation as the Young Ones and more through the convincing arguments the Young Ones’ incite with their charms and silver tongues. Publicly it is known that the Council of Elders is desperately attempting to quell not only the growing anger of their trade partners, but also the cries and demands for change from the lowly Jastanas. Staying akin to the traditions of their zu'aan neighbors, the Calun Clan still practices marriage and relationships in the old way (one Kin’Toni sworn to another). The Young Ones even threaten to change this tradition as well.

Their lust-driven and single-minded antics have seduced their Jastana brethren. The Jastanas have begun acting more on selfish desires not only in government and wealth but also in love and lust. The people have noticeably grown tired of sharing their rewards with each other, staying true to one spouse, and not holding full claim to what they now realize they individually earned. The Merchant King’s voice once rung strong and true. It would overwhelm any shouts of change. And although his wife, the Chief Arbitrer (Elashor Calun) holds great respect and influence in her position, even she cannot find the words to stop the arising mass that demands change or chaos.

Government

The Calun kin'toni Clan’s government consists of a form of oligarchy. The hierarchy of power is determined by the age of the Kin'toni. The older the Kin'toni, the higher their position of authority. This makes their form of government a gerontocracy. At the top of their administration is the Council of Elders. It consists of seven of the eldest members of the clan and is headed by the oldest Kin'toni, referred to as the Chief Arbitrer. The other members of the Council are simply known as Arbitrers. The age of the Kin'toni refers to the amount of time that has passed since they were turned from Zu'Aan to a Kin'toni.

Each of the six Arbitrers leads one of these major portfolios or divisions: military, finance, external affairs, justice, trade and science. Accordingly, they are named as the Arbitrer of Justice, the Arbitrer of Trade and so on. Besides their respective Arbitrers, each division, with the exception of the military, has five to seven additional officers ranking just below the Arbitrers. They are known as the Egreshas. Each Egresha, in turn, heads a section, composed of 20 to 50 subordinates, known as the Aberdas.

Laws, when proposed in a particular section of a division, need to be passed with a two-thirds majority of Aberdas. Following that, it must be approved by the Arbitrer of that division before it is taken up by the Council of Elders. The six Arbitrers vote on the piece of legislation. If passed by a majority, it is then presented to the Chief Arbitrer who has the final say on the matter. In case of a tie, the Chief Arbitrer steps in to cast their Deciding Vote. Each Aberda leads a Part consisting of 150-300 Jastanas. The Jastanas are the lowest ranking individuals in the administration.

The Jastanas do not have the power to introduce or propose a new law, nor do they have voting rights. They perform the bulk of the paperwork to keep the administration running and are the main intermediaries between the public and the upper echelons of the government. The uniforms are all color-coded, indicating the rank of an individual within the administration. The Chief Arbitrer's attire consists of a gold-colored overcoat with purple trousers. The Arbitrers have red overcoat and dark blue trousers as their uniforms. The Egreshas wear green shirts with yellow trousers.

The Aberdas have light pink shirts with orange trousers. Lastly, the Jastanas wear light blue shirts with brown trousers. Within the clan, this system of governance has been a subject of criticism for a long time. Age does not automatically correlate to competence and capability. Corruption and favoritism run rampant in the system. Able and decisive individuals often find themselves in the lower rungs of the administration while incompetent Kin'toni are shoved to the top just because of the precedence they take with regards to their age. The general public has no say whatsoever in the government and this has led to a lot of resentment over the years.

Military

The concept of a military branch of government amongst the Calun kin'toni Clan (a merchant-based tribe) is unusual but not nonexistent. They do not boast the greatest warriors amongst the kin'toni or even the zu'aan but they are enough to protect the caravans from unwanted visitors and riley customers and sometimes even fellow clan members. Surprisingly enough, being a part of the Calun military is one of the least respected positions within the clan. There is a renowned and celebrated Elder that governs the militant kin'toni as their Arbitrer of Justice, but the Jastanas beneath him are seen as having chosen the least challenging position in a clan of socialist and trade-fueled ideals.

The military functions more as a glorified sanction of caravan guards. They wield longswords and handcrafted shields traded and bought from major nearby zu'aan cities. Their armor is the same silver and chain as those that the common guard wears in those same towns. Although they wield the weapons and armor of those that are perceived as strong, it is well known that they lack the knowledge and skill of those that have worn the same gear before them. Unlike trade and wealth, there are no celebrations of heroism and combat amongst the Calun kin'toni Clan. Parades and feasts are not thrown honoring those that die to keep the roaming evils of Taerel’s decimated terrain outside of the caravans’ borders.

Many guards die and are forgotten while a single merchant is called “king”. A large statue is carried from trade station to trade station while militant Kin’toni’s broken bodies litter the roads behind them. The current Arbitrer of Justice and leader of the Calun kin'toni Clan’s military is none other than Marikoth Calun’s eldest brother, Ryo Calun. Although his glorified guards are mocked and forgotten, Ryo still maintains the fear and respect of his fellow Calun. Many believe it is because of his blood relation to the king himself and less because of his position as leader of such a weak-willed army of castaways.

The Young Ones’ corrupting words appeal to the militant branch of Jastanas more than any of the others. Being a guard and risking your life to not only share in the same wealth as everyone else but have less respect than a simple merchant has begun to wear on the existing guardsmen. They yearn for change and seek Ryo’s influence amongst the Council of Elders to make that shift. More specifically, they seek Ryo’s influence with his sister-in-law and Elder Arbitrer, Elashor Calun. Their cries do not fall on deaf ears. Their loyal Arbitrer of Justice, Ryo Calun, often appeals to the council for more wealth and recognition to be distributed to his army of weak-willed Kin’toni.

He has even begun leaning towards the side of the Young Ones and their Elder creators that represent them. Soon Ryo Calun and his guardsmen may follow behind the Young Ones in their rebellion of the Merchant King’s regime or they may gather courage for the first time in their history and lead it themselves.

Religion

There is only one form of worship amongst the Calun kin'toni Clan. The praise and celebration of their fallen Merchant King, Marikoth Calun. He is not seen as a holy being of mythological proportions but more as a great ancestor and father that taught his people to work together and the importance of trade and family. Parades and feasts are held often by the worshippers of the Merchant King. The Jastanas that lead these gluttonous celebrations are known as the Eyerie. An Eyerie is a simple craftsman that provides the foundation of the societal practices that Marikoth Calun created.

Without crafts and wares the traders would not be able to perform their business and the clan would see no wealth or success. An Eyerie slaves away at the caravan kilns and weaves. They create valuable and celebrated crafts that are then sold and admired by members of zu'aan cities and tribes. They wear simple, saturated robes that differ in great contrast to the glorious and colorful items they create. Their hands are often callused and worn from the hours they spend slaving away at stoves, workbenches, and tapestries. A diligent Eyerie garners more respect than any other Jastana in the clan. Some would even say that they are more revered than the Council of Elders themselves.

They are represented on the Council of Elders by their Arbitrer of Craft, Zeno Calun. Zeno is considered the most talented craftsmen of the second era, even by their zu'aan neighbors. He heads the many celebrations and kin'toni holidays for Marikoth Calun. It is Zeno Calun’s joyful voice that shouts praises and silences roaring crowds. Everyone diligently listens so that they can hear Zeno Calun’s incredible tales of intrigue and domination by their great ancestor, the Merchant King. There are several things that are taboo or forbidden amongst the Eyerie.

They do not take spouses or take part in any activity that could possibly harm their bodies. These activities include combat, sexual interactions, body modification, etc. Their skill, health, and undamaged appendages are valued too much by the Calun kin'toni Clan to ever risk them. A loss of a talented Eyerie is to lose one more source of wares and wealth amongst their socialist society. Because of these beliefs, the Eyerie do not take part in creation of militant related items. They are not blacksmiths and do not choose to practice the art because it is considered dangerous and barbaric by many.

This adds to the disdain and dislike that the Calun kin'toni Clan’s military unfortunately suffers. Zeno Calun does not wish to assist in this but is politically motivated enough to not ever publicly speak against it. Zeno Calun leads the strongest side amongst the Arbitrers when combating the beliefs and defiance of the Young Ones. In fact, there is not a Young One amongst the Eyerie ranks. It is commonplace that a Young One is never considered or apprenticed to possibly become one. Their recklessness and chaotic nature is not suitable for the dedication and focus of a diligent Eyerie.

It is possible that if the Young Ones ever manage to incite a rebellion, the Eyerie could be the first to fall considering their inability and lack of knowledge to defend themselves.

Nearby Groups

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Calun Kin'toni Clan

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