Rodrisend Kin'toni Clan

History

The clan was founded by Rodri the the Sunkissed upon discovering the verdant lands of the delta they now control. There they found all the resources they needed to survive for thousands of years. They used these resources to build several villages along the riverbanks that lead up to a massive settlement spanning the fan of the delta. They used the zu'aan they captured in hunts to build their homes and structures before feeding on and turning them to add to their numbers.

Rodri then took the title of the Immoral Emperor and supervised the construction of chariots and weapons of war. The chariots were designed to be pulled by blinded and tortured kin'toni. Using these tools and weapons they formed an impressive standing army and a separate dedicated hunting force. They sent emissaries to the neighbouring regions. Those that were controlled by other clans were negotiated with in order to gain access to their exiled members. Often having the sentence changed to being handed over to the Rodrisend forces.

If the region held any zu'aan settlements they would lay siege to the settlement until they agreed to send their most healthy young people to the service of the Immortal Empire. Over the years they have faced resistance both from outside forces seeking to get free from the clutches of the Empire, and from those within who feared that they would suffer the same fate as the ancient Xerea Empire. The detractors’ attempt to convince their fellow clan members to change their ways was met with open hostility. Soon any person caught even whispering a mild complaint against the Immortal Emperor was beaten.

After the first ten deaths, open civil war threatened to break out. Rodri used his military to halt the fighting and offered to hear the complaints of the detractors in a summit meeting at a newly built structure. It was revealed to be a trap. The structure was a massive arena built near the mouth of one of the delta’s tributaries. When the detractors had all arrived they were surrounded and slaughtered. Any survivors were blinded and defanged to become servants in Rodri’s palace. The outside resistance was met with the full force of the Immortal Empire and those who survived their retaliation where forced to accept the terms of subjugation.

The price they paid was to have their remaining strongest warriors turned over to Imperial control. Those who were kin'toni were turned into chariot pullers. While those who were zu'aan were used as slaves before being turned. The Immortal Empire refused to take direct control over any of the neighbouring regions, relying instead on coercion and fear to keep the settlements under their thumb. This earned them a barrier of individually allied regions to prevent any unwanted invasions. Rodri used this barrier to give his empire time to further their advancements.

And strengthen their grip on the region through the use of new materials and tools. They recently began construction on a fleet of boat to sail up the river and use in war.

Biology

The Rodrisend clan’s eyes, which have dark pink irises with black sclerae and horizontal slit pupils, see into the ultraviolet spectrum. This allows them to see sound waves, while they are otherwise completely deaf. Combined with a slightly heightened sense of touch, this has caused them to communicate through vibrations and visual signals instead of auditory methods. Which has proven useful when relaying orders in war. However, their deafness can provide a vulnerability to attacks they can’t see immediately. Their sense of touch allows them to better sense the changing winds and flows of the tides.

Giving them an advantage in the delta they call their home. It also allows them to have fine control over their chariots through the vibrations in the reins and in the flooring. They also can use their unique sense of sight aid in finding any targets who are attempting to hide. Standing just half a head shorter than the average zu'aan, they are lithe and slender. Their frame hides a surprisingly athletic muscular form capable of quick powerful strikes and elevated leaps. Their skin has adapted to the fertile aired climate and warm temperatures, making them capable of withstanding immense heat.

Yet because of this, they are vulnerable to cold weather. Despite being flat-footed they are highly dexterous and agile making their movements dance-like and sure-footed on slippery ground, but it comes at the cost of their actual running speed over long distances. They have long toes with curved short claws like talons that give them extra grip. The tips of their fingers have short claws that are capable of cutting flesh yet not long or strong enough to go through bone or reach vital organs. Instead, they’re often used these when they feed on and eventually turn their zu'aan slaves.

On occasion, they are used in the torture and punishment of their slaves. Their vocal cords can produce sounds that operate on an subaudible level that is only detectable through vibrations. Through training they have learn of specific frequencies that cause minor sensations in their targets. With this they can engineer a feeling of unease or cause a brief distraction through targeted use. However it can not do more than minor sensations and prolonged use can wear on the vocal cords. When submerged in water they are capable of holding their breath for almost a full two hours.

They can also swim like a crocodile through the river. In fact, within the confines of the freshwater river, they move much faster than on land. However as their prey is more often on land, they are currently unable to make much use of this particular skill. Their adaptation to the environment included a predilection for the taste of honey. In combination with their particular mutation, honey has a radical affect on them. To them, it acts as a drug similar a powerful numbing agent and steroid. It allows their bodies to be pushed further in terms of strength and reaction time without causing noticeable pain.

This however has the side effect of potentially paralysing them. And so it is used carefully.

Culture

The Rodrisend live in nonagonal houses and structures made of limestone that form villages built along the riverbanks and a large settlement encompassing the delta that acts as the capital for the clan’s Immortal Empire. At the centre of the capital, there is a massive opulent structure with multiple smaller tiers stacked on top of each other. This structure is the palace of Rodri, the self-proclaimed Immortal Emperor. Other structures smaller than the palace stand out in the capital. One is a circular arena near the mouth of a tributary.

This is where a detractor rebellion was quelled, and where they host fights between captured enemies and races to test their chariots. Another is a triangular structure with a wide open section that stands nearest to an edge of the capital. This is the training academy for the military. Within each of the villages lies a large cluster of crescent-shaped buildings to house the local arm of the clan’s military as well as their chariot pullers. There are twenty such clusters in the capital, but these are quite a bit larger to house the main bulk of the army.

Lastly, there is a stout pyramid close to the palace. This is the library, which houses copies of all written documents of the Rodrisend. Due to the clan members being deaf, the clan quickly developed a form of communication that was both visual and tangible. This came in the form of etchings and stitchings of ideograms unique to the Rodrisend. Many of the common symbols used are derived from shapes they can form with their hands. Everyone in the Immortal Empire wears light woven cloth garments that are often dyed white and a second colour specific to what they do in service to the clan.

The colours are red for the military, green for agriculture, brown for craftsmen, black for forgers, yellow for artisans, orange for scholars, and purple for hunters. Blue is kept solely for the Immortal Emperor and those who serve in his palace. Those in service at the palace also wear simple metal worked bracelets and collars that symbolise their status. The Immortal Emperor wears many pieces of very ornate jewellery decorated with the symbols that tell of his legend and encrusted with gemstones. Having begun working with basic metals relatively recently.

The clan uses much of what they can in nearly every aspect of their crafting and construction not to mention weapons forging. To make up for their lack of running capabilities outside of a short sprint, they looked into making a means of travel that could help them get to distant parts of their territory. After several minor advances using different basic methods, they finally made their first chariot. While it was not as refined as the masterfully crafted chariots they presently employ, it paved the way towards many of the advances in many aspects of their lives including military tactics.

The discovery of honey and it's effects on clan members has also influenced both hunting and the military.

Government

When the clan took control of the delta, the founder took the title of the Immortal Emperor and structured the entire government to give himself supreme power. While he delegates the military minutiae to his supreme general, the Immortal Emperor has everything run through him directly. Every few days he holds court in the throne room of his palace and listens to the requests and concerns of his people. However, he is very selective about what requests and concerns he'll allow to be voiced. On those days he'll have certain palace servants listen in on the people waiting to speak to the Immortal Emperor.

Those who are there with “acceptable” requests are unbothered. While those with unwanted requests are given water and food to keep them busy. The Immortal Emperor uses his palace servants in numerous different tasks that send them well beyond the palace. On his order, a palace servant can be sent to spy on the people in a village. Some are used as messengers and couriers to deliver his orders. Others have been sent to stop meetings of detractors during the time of unrest. They even helped orchestrate the mass slaughter at the arena.

A few act as emissaries to the surrounding regions. One has the sole job of slaying any hunter or military officer who proves too successful and ambitious. Through his servants, the Immortal Emperor keeps complete control over the entire clan. In terms of power the next in line would be the Supreme General of the military yet outside of his command he has no say in how the clan operates. He is one of the few individuals who knows about how the Immortal Emperor truly uses the palace servants. Closely below him in power is the head of the hunting guild.

Who is kept complicit in all the Immortal Emperor's plans for the sole purpose of hunting down the zu'aan and other kin'toni needed for the clan's slave labour that makes their society function. The first written law simply stated “The word of the Immortal Emperor must not be questioned. Simply obeyed.” and while there is no mention of a punishment, every clan member knows that to go against Rodri the Sunkissed is to accept death. The Immortal Emperor prefers to personally judge and execute those who disobey him. If it is deemed a minor offence he is likely to simply execute them with his personal sickle.

However, if it is considered something serious, he then gets creative. Often he will have one portion be a show of understanding and sympathy before he makes an example through a big violent display of his power and authority. If the culprit is still alive at that point they will vanish at the hands of the palace servants before reappearing as a loyal slave to the Immortal Emperor if not turned into killed before the next time court is held in the palace. If it is the latter, the body is encased in hardened honey and positioned so it looks as though it is kissing the feet of the Immortal Emperor.

Military

While the Immortal Emperor gives out the general orders for war campaigns, it is up to the Supreme General to see the military is fully capable of carrying out Rodri’s orders without fail. He must sit in council with the Immortal Emperor so that he can hear the will of Rodri and must show his understanding by presenting a strategy on how best to complete the desired outcome. The Supreme General must plan and oversee all tactics used in a campaign as well as deal with selecting the troops and dealing with any deserters. The Immortal Emperor does not accept defeat.

And so the Supreme General is left to continue a campaign until they are successful. Below him are his lieutenants. They join him in the specific planning of every campaign and advise him on the best strategies to use given the condition of the military’s forces. They lead the separated regiments into battle and are each skilled in sickle and halbert both on foot and in chariots. As the Supreme General listens to the will of the Immortal Emperor, the lieutenants follow and relay the orders from their commander. The next lower rank are the captains.

They directly interact with the troops and are responsible for their training and performance in battle. Each controls a squad in battle must make sure to inspire their grunts to keep fighting no matter what they are facing. The military relies on the use of their crescent bladed sickles and halberts in a flowing dance of death when on foot to force the unprepared to submit. Whether using only a single sickle or halbert, both at once, or dual wielding either, every movement is connected and pulls into the next so that the unsuspecting target is overwhelmed by the flurry of cuts.

With the construction of the chariot, the military was able to add devastating new tactics in their arsenal. They use the chariots to charge through advancing forces as well as to quickly manoeuvre around and surround their enemies. They will ride through in staggered attacks from different directions and then weave through the enemy lines killing all in their path. They also tie logs with sharp spikes to the end of their chariots to maximise the carnage. When the military lays siege to a settlement, they will often tie their chariots to the gates.

Or even to a section of any wall and prepare to pull it off if their demands aren’t met. Another aspect of their war tactics is the use of honey as a combat enhancer. The short term effects of it allows them the chance to turn the tide of a potentially lost fight. However, it is considered only a last resort action as the benefits to their abilities come with a numbing side effect. While they are under the effects of the honey, they do not feel if any of the enemies’ attacks land. The steroid effects allow them to force their bodies through all damage, but once the effects wears off their bodies react to every attack they didn’t avoid.

Religion

While the clan does have a formulated religion, there are a few things that clan members will pray to. The Immortal Empire places so much power into the hand of its Immortal Emperor, that some have taken to worshipping Rodri and pray for his continued reign. These zealous followers have even taken to attacking any who complain about the actions of the Immortal Emperor. It was their killing of detractors that nearly brought the clan to civil war until Rodri tricked the detractor movement and slaughtered them. As the truest expression of their loyalty, the zealots often become palace servants.

The most widely worshipped part of the clan’s life is the river that feeds into their delta. They call it Warad, the bringer of riches. This is because it is through the river that their land is so rich in resources and materials for the things that built their empire. In reverence of the gifts the river brings, the clan wrap their dead in treated cloth and send them down the river. In this way it brings truth to the clan’s core belief: “The river gives life to the Immortal Empire, and takes death far away. As long as the river flows, the Immortal Empire will remain.”

Some worship the night and the cooling effect it has on their land. They call it Nierud, the dark comforter. The worshippers of Nierud live a solely night existence and often take jobs as artisans and scholars as they can accomplish their tasks at any time of day and don’t need the light of the sun. To them Nierud gives them the perfect atmosphere for living in comfort, while to those less devout Nierud gives wraps the clan in the cool blanket for the best sleep possible. Nierud’s followers offer up prayers and incense to make sure the night and it’s cool breeze never leaves the delta.

Another aspect of life that is worshipped is warfare. Worshipped solely by the military, it was given the name Bisnu’Akt, the drinker of death. It’s most fervent worshippers often spend their days in intense training for the battles to come and carry honey with them everywhere they go. In respect for Bisnu’Akt, the warriors sharpen their weapons and tend to their other tools on a daily basis. Before the military goes off on a campaign, every member will sacrifice an animal in hopes for a great victory in battle. The hunters guild worships the very act of hunting.

They name it Dermia, the catcher of blood. While their traditions may appear similar to those who worship warfare, there are a few key differences. The first is that they train with their chariots in the arena every night before they touch their weapons. They also care for their chariot pullers and makes sure they are fed when not out hunting. When they are about to go on a hunt they will hold gladiatorial games in honour of Dermia to bless their efforts and grant them a safe hunt.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Rodrisend Kin'toni Clan

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