Rilpertiadanbur Kin'toni Clan

History

The Rilpertiadanbur kin’toni clan were a travelling clan before the infection happened. They had their small village in Whir Boreal Wetland, but they didn't spend all of their time there. Instead they would spend their time travelling to different lakes, ponds, rivers, and oceans to see what they held. They would spend hours in the water, taking samples of the plants there and viewing the differences between all of them. They would survey the plant life and see what made them able to grow in one place, but unable to grow in others.

They would take into consideration the temperature, salt content in the water, and other organisms that existed there, seeing if changing any of them would change anything else about the plants they had found. It interested them to learn about the different kinds of plants, and they were content to do this for many generations. After the outbreak happened, the kin’toni of the Rilpertidanbur clan had tried to retreat to the water in hopes that in doing so, they wouldn't be affected. However this wasn't the case. They were still affected by the infection, and because of them residing in the water at the time that the infection hit, they developed webbed hands and feet.

They had no idea what was going on with them, and some even fell into the water in fear. They expected to die there, but instead they found that they could breathe under the water. While they had no idea what was going on, many of them rejoiced that they were now able to spend even more time in the water. The clan proceeded to build settlements under the water in caves that they had been able to find, and some would live down there for as long as they could without coming up to the surface Others decided to build other houses along the edges of water sources so that while they wanted to be in their own homes, they were also close to the water.

Because of their choice to live in the water as well, some of the kin’toni of the Rilpertiadanbur clan went on to evolve and become unable to leave the water for long periods of time. They would only be able to come out for short times if need be, and when they were on land, they would carry water around with them to douse themselves with so that they could last longer on the shore. If they were to wait too long to go back to the water, their bodies would begin to shrivel up from the lack of water that they had going to them, and they would perish.

The members of the clan had learned this the hard way as they watched some of their friends and family members shrivel and pass away before their eyes. Because of this, they made sure that they would carry water with them, or time how long they would spend on land. If time went too long, they would rush to their nearest water source to douse themselves before making their way back to the water.

Psychology

The Rilpertiadnbur kin’toni clan were of the belief that they were the only ones that were selected to mutate into water breathing kin’toni. They believed that it was their calling as they had already spent so much time researching in the water. They were excited about being able to spend even more time in the water without having to take breathing breaks. Because of their belief that they were the only ones that mutated to be able to breathe in the water, they decided that they were going to hide their clan from other kin’toni, only letting others join if they were willing to try to evolve to breathe the water.

The members of the Rilpertiadanbur clan knew that it would be next to impossible for other kin’toni to evolve as they had, which was why they liked that no one else could join them. Although they did want to add more people to the clan, they wanted them to be added so long as they were able to be like the rest of the clan, and the only way they would accept other members would be as long as they could at least hold their breath for longer periods of time. Since they were so protective of their clan, they would do anything they could to ensure that it was kept safe.

They would lie about their abilities to be able to breathe underwater, they would deny any claims that they had built any buildings under the water, and they would deny anyone access to the Whir Boreal Wetland so that they wouldn't be able to see their buildings for themselves. They had managed to hold other clans off for long enough that them being able to breathe underwater became more of a rumor than anything else, and that was how they liked it. When they visited other clans, there was still the odd comment or remark about them being able to breathe underwater, or they would be challenged to a breath holding contest.

The kin’toni from the Rilpertiadanbur clan always tried to remain humble about what they were able to do, but they were proud that they were able to keep the secret so well. They liked that they had been able to deceive people for so long that they had taken their truth and turned it into a rumour since none of the other clans were able to back up their comments. Eventually, the Rilpertiadanbur clan started to become cocky about everything they were able to do, that they would make and win bets with other clans easily. They would show off their skills in a way that showed what they could do, but not to the full extent of their powers.

This was how they liked it to be, and they didn't have any intentions of changing it, at least not until they were caught being able to do something that they shouldn't be able to do.

Biology

After they evolved, the kin'toni within the Rilertiadanbur clan had changed a lot. They had gone through various biological changes throughout the years, and they ended up looking and acting very differently than how they had started. Once they had finished going through their changes, they ended up looking different than other kin’toni even in their clan, but not by much. Depending on what they did within the clan, and where they lived in Whir Boreal Wetland, held a huge significance as to what they looked like. While each of the kin’toni was able to breathe underwater.

Some wouldn't do it as much as others would, and because of this, the kin’toni that lived underwater most of the time had a slimy film that covered their bodies. This would allow them to be able to swim even faster as they would be able to glide through the water with ease. Some even had more slime covering them, causing their bodies to have a green tinge to them. When visiting other clans, the kin’toni with more slime to them had to either wipe the slime off, or they wouldn't be allowed to come because other kin’toni would be able to tell that they lived in the water.

Each of the members of the clan had webbed fingers and toes which made it easier for them to swim, being able to cup more water and propel them forward through the water. When they were out of the water and were visiting other clans, they would wear gloves on their hands and shoes on their feet so that other kin’toni couldn't tell that they had the webbing between their fingers and toes. This way they were able to conceal their identities more efficiently. Their eyes were a green/yellow color, the color itself coming from the murky water around their houses.

Their eyes also allowed them to be able to see mildly better in the dark above water, and much better in the dark under the water. Their lungs had quickly adapted to being able to absorb the oxygen out of the water, and their ears adapted as well, so that they were still able to talk to each other under the water, and be able to understand each other. This made being able to hide during an attack easier for them as they could just retreat to the water and hide there totally fine until their attackers gave up and let them be. That was how they liked it, and they thanked the goddess Anahita for giving them the ability to do so.

Because of their choice to live in the water, the Rilpertiadanbur clan noticed that the enzymes in the water allowed them to be able to live longer. They liked that they were able to do this, as it meant that they were able to carry out their work for more years than they initially were able to. Also, it meant that they would have more time to be able to find other kin’toni that could come to their clan to live.

Culture

Culturally, the Rilpertiadanbur clan believed that their hair was the key to remaining worthy of their underwater powers as they called them. They believed that since their hair had been long when they started their evolution, that they were chosen because of it. While they were in the water their hair flowed beautifully around them, cascading through the water behind them while they were swimming. They believed that their hair granted them their long lives and to cut it would mean that they were essentially severing the connection between them and Anahita.

When any of the members would cut their hair, they would be met with a swift punishment from the rest of the clan. They would be sent to live in one of the buildings on the edge of the water, unable to access it as the clan believed that Anahita herself lived in the water, and to allow a clan member with short hair to access the water would mean that they condoned their actions and were okay with their haircut. While they were in the houses, they were locked in from the outside, stuck inside so that they wouldn't be able to get to the water.

They were given a ration of water each day that they could use to drink, bathe in, or to just dump over their heads so that they could feel like they were within the water again. Many would hoard as much water as they could get so they could fill up a wash basin and be able to soak in the water for a long period of time. While they were on their punishment, they wouldn't be able to leave until their hair grew back out to the length that the rest of the clan was deemed worthy of being allowed back in the water. They would hold a vote so that they were all within one decision to let the offender back out.

Because of their ability to breathe under the water, when they would go hunting, they would wait in the water around zu’aan villages so that they would be able to pull unsuspecting zu’aan into the water and be able to drink their blood. Some would end up drowning their victims, and instead would choose to bring them back to the clan for others to eat as well. There were others that chose to jump out of the water when they were hunting, choosing to use the surprise tactic so that they could feed and then release their prey to go back to their village.

Using the water also came as a way they would use to escape if any zu’aan tried to hunt them down for preying on their village members. The kin’toni would swim down into the water, as far as they could so that any weapons that the zu’aan had wouldn't be able to reach them. This gave them the advantage to flee quicker than most other kin’toni as they wouldn't have to be above ground where they could be killed.

Government

While the Rilpertiadanbur clan didn't have any real lawmakers, they did have elders that they would consult when they needed advice. The Elders were the oldest members of the clan, the ones that had lived longer than any of the others and had the most knowledge out of everyone. They had been the ones that had put into law that anyone who cut their hair would have to go into a mandatory lock down until their hair regrew. As well as that, while they were locked in a house, they weren't able to talk to anyone on the outside. They were to keep quiet, and couldn't even thank any other clan member that brought them their water or blood.

The only time they were allowed to talk would be to pray to Anahita for forgiveness and to grow their hair out longer, faster, so that they could re enter their clan. The Elders were essentially in charge of everything from making laws to appointing other kin’toni to ensure that the laws were followed. They would use these other kin’toni as a police force of sorts, having them go around and make sure that everyone was adhering to the laws as they should be, and they would take anyone who they believed were violating any laws. They would essentially kidnap them and take them to where the elders were so that they could be judged and then be told if they had a punishment, and if so, what it was.

The police would make sure that any punishments were also kept up to how the elders wanted them to be executed. Some of the police would take their power too far and they would try to dish out punishments themselves, and they would try to make other kin’toni listen to them. Once it was established who the offenders were, the Elders would strip them of the ability to enforce laws, and would have them locked away to pray to Anahita for forgiveness. Praying seemed to be the most prominent punishment that they would be given, as it seemed that it was what most people were both able to do, and wanted to do so that they could heal.

Sometimes they would offer to take praying as a punishment as it was something they could easily do, and they would be able to get away from their duties within the clan for a couple of days. The Elders would usually allow this as they wanted more of the members of the clan to turn to prayer as a form of learning and rehabilitation so that they wouldn't continue the actions that got them punished in the first place. For the most part this would work and many of the clan members would come back to the rest of the clan as happier and overall better kin’toni than they had been before they went to pray for a couple of days.

Military

Because of the Rilpertiadanbur clan choosing to hide themselves when other clans would come to battle them, the Elders hadn't decided to appoint any military forces to protect them if they ever did decide to go into battle. They didn't think that they ever would go into battle, but since they would go and visit other clans, they did make sure that they had the resources to defend themselves should they need to. Each member of the clan was trained to be able to fight when they needed to, but they were always urged not to unless they had to.

They were taught that if they had to fight, that it should be for self defense, or because there really weren't any other options. They would have to justify their choice to fight in front of the Elders, and if it was deemed that they were doing it for no good reason, they would be sent to punishment. While they didn't engage in battles, they did still ensure that they did have the proper tools to fight if they did end up needing them. When they would travel, they were to wear leather or waterproof armour so that they were more protected from any dangers should they arise.

They were to be wearing head to toe coverage that would really only show their faces. They were also supposed to keep their hair in braids or in buns so that it wouldn't be flowing and get in the way, especially if they did come down to having to fight. Fighting an outsider and having their hair cut off was one of the only times they wouldn't be punished for cutting their hair as it wasn't their choice to have it cut. This was allowed only if they were able to prove that they didn't ask someone else to cut it, as well as justifying the fight they had entered into.

The Rilpertaidanbur kin’toni clan would equip themselves with weighted spears to fight with as the weight in them would make it easier for them to wield their weapons underwater, being able to throw them and still be able to hit their target. When they were training with them, they would have to make sure that they were able to keep their accuracy both under and above the water. This would make sure that they were able to hit their targets both from far and close distances and would mean that they were more dextrous with their weapons.

They were not permitted to carry daggers as they were supposed to be able to fight mostly from a distance, and they weren't allowed to have shields as they believed that having a shield would slow them down under the water and would instead make them more vulnerable to attack while they were trying to equip their shields. Many of the kin’toni were in agreement with this as they routinely chose movement speed over protection. They believed they would be able to win quicker so long as they were faster at attacking than their opponent was.

Religion

The Rilpertiadanbur clan believed that when the infection made them into kin’toni, and evolution granted them the ability to breathe underwater, that the Goddess Anahita was the reason behind it all. They believed that she had lived in the water surrounding their village since long before they had turned into kin’toni, but in doing so, she had chosen them and given them the ability to breathe underwater. Because of how much they believed that Anahita was the one that gave them their powers, prayer to her was something that they did every day without exception.

Along with that, many punishments involved praying to her so that they would become worthy of her and the powers she had given them. They believed that she had chosen them to carry out their exploration for longer, being able to travel over land to other bodies of water because she was not able to. They believed that they were doing her work, and that was how they had decided to live out their days. It was said that the Elders were the only ones that were able to talk to Anahita. That they were the only ones chosen to do so because she had chosen them.

The Elders believed that she granted them the ability to live longer lives, but only if they stayed in the water constantly. If they were to leave the water, they would lose their link to be able to talk to her and to bestow her blessings upon others. So they had built a temple in an underwater cave, believing that in doing so, they would remain constantly in her presence, and she would always have a direct link to be able to talk to them. Every once in a while, an Elder would pass away and Anahita would choose another that she deemed as worthy to take their place, ensuring that they would always have enough Elders to make decisions on her behalf.

The Elders were also supposed to ensure that the clan was doing their work as she commanded, making sure that they followed the timeline that she provided them. When any clan member came before them, whether it be because they were in need of advice, or because the police had brought them for a punishment, they would always excuse themselves so that they could go and deliberate with Anahita herself, allowing her to be the one that would be picking the punishments for the members of the clan. The punishments would be given, and they almost always involved the member of the clan having to go and pray to Anahita for forgiveness and to be allowed to re enter the clan.

The Elders would wait for her to announce when a clan member was done with their punishment, and the Elders would send someone to go and retrieve the member of the clan. They would again bring them before the Elders and they would make sure that this member had learned their lesson.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Rilpertiadanbur Kin'toni Clan

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