Lydac Kin'toni Clan

History

The Lydac kin’toni clan is a small but powerful clan that live in the Urndel Silkglades region. The clan originated from a group of lowly zu’aan soldiers. The group were just foot soldiers used in the wars against the kin’toni in the period shortly after the outbreak. They were turned by the virus but were quickly shunned by other clans because they were considered weak. At this time, they were biologically weak and weren’t a particularly intelligent group either. They wandered Taerel for several years looking for an unclaimed region in which they could live in solitude from the other, more powerful clans. Eventually they stumbled upon the Urndel Silkglades region.

This region was deserted of zu’aan and thus all the stronger clans had ignored it. The clan’s original and leading member, Morven, was keen to settle down and begin building the clan. He was jealous of the other clans and hated them for their shunning of both him and his members. Morven’s ideologies and goals were all aimed at proving that he was better than the other clans believed. He wanted to show everyone that the Lydac could be strong. And thus, strength became the core of all belief throughout the clan.

One key issue that the clan identified shortly after settling in Urndel is that there were almost no food sources in the region. The Lydac clan needed blood to sustain them or they would slowly starve to death. There were no zu’aan in the region, and the surrounding regions had zu’aan that were either too strong for the Lydac to take on, or zu’aan that were taken by other clans. The animals in Urndel were not edible. The region was covered mostly in silky spider webs and the spiders that made them were both dangerous and poisonous to consume. The clan could not find any edible animals to sustain them, they eventually began to starve.

Their loyalty to Morven and his brother, Ikaros began to stretch and wear thin. Many members left Urndel and went to seek safeguard elsewhere. Morven grew angry and frustrated at his failures. In a fit of rage, he attacked one of the kin’toni who were leaving the clan. In the process he accidently killed them. He was so hungry that he began to drink the blood of that kin’toni. This day is known historically in the clan as the ‘day of awakening’. The blood invigorated Morven, he felt better than he had felt in years. After this day, the Lydac clan realised they could consume the blood of other kin’toni in order to sustain themselves.

Kin’toni blood had unique effects on the bodies of those who consumed it. The Lydac kin’toni began to grow stronger, faster, and far larger than they were before. The blood granted them great physical power, bringing Morven’s dreams to reality. Using their enhanced strength, the clan not only proved themselves to be stronger than their former oppressors, but they actually hunted them down to use their blood. The clan became hated by almost every other kin’toni clan on the continent for hunting down their own kind. They also became feared for the same reason.

Psychology

Biology

The Lydac kin’toni clan are very physically large and powerful due to their years of consuming kin’toni blood. The blood has unique effects on the Lydac kin’toni. Some of these infects include, increased muscle mass, height, bone density and lung capacity. The oldest Lydac kin’toni have been feasting on blood for centuries and have grown to huge sizes. Feeding on the blood of other kin’toni allows the Lydac to regenerate themselves infinitely. This allows them immortality provided they keep eating. The older the kin’toni the more often they need to feed or else risk dying.

This biological adaptation mostly occurred because there was nothing else for the Lydac clan to feed on in their region. Morven himself stands at over ten feet tall and his skin has turned a dark red due to the constant consumption of kin’toni blood. Over time consuming the blood will cause the Lydac kin’toni’s skin to become more and more reddish. You can tell how old one is by the colour of its skin and its height. The eldest Lydac kin’toni are the most respected amongst the younger ones. The Lydac accept other stray kin’toni applicants into their ranks.

This allows them to slowly build their numbers. The initiates must complete a series of tasks and the winner will be able to become an honorary Lydac member. The ones who do not win are drained by the other members of the clan, including the new initiate who has their first meal. These games allow the clan to steadily increase their numbers but also draw in some easy prey for them to feast on afterwards. The tournament is held once a year. The younger and smaller kin’toni are the last to feed on each kill the clan makes. The older ones need to eat often and in large amounts otherwise they will die.

They only remain ageless provided they consume large amounts of blood. After many years of consuming the blood, the Lydac kin’toni become incapable of feeding on normal zu’aan or animal blood. This means that they become completely reliant on kin’toni blood for their survival. Failure to eat often will result in tiredness, vomiting and often unconsciousness. The members of the clan who have only been able to live so long because of they blood are in more danger than being knocked out. These members will die if they don’t feed. Morven himself feeds on a kin’toni twice a day.

This means that the clan must bring in corpses daily to sustain him. Due to his immense size he can run very fast and hunt prey himself. Mostly the clan attack zu’aan towns from nearby regions and bring as many zu’aan back as can. They turn the zu’aan and then slaughter them all or save them for later. Other kin’toni clans have also attempted to fight the massive Lydac kin’toni. Usually this just results in the Lydac clan getting more blood. Morven’s brother, Ikaros, is one of the only ancient Lydac to have actually been killed. He was defeated in battle with a zu’aan city. At the time of his death he was six hundred years old and stood almost as tall as Morven.

Culture

The Lydac kin’toni clan is most well-known for the consumption of kin’toni blood. Their culture is mostly based around this critical ability. The clan members praise and admire the older members of the clan who have been able to fight and survive for so many years. Strength is essentially the core of the clan’s existence and cultural identity. They worship strength above all, and to be strong in the Lydac kin’toni clan means to live long and drink well. Their culture is designed so that the strongest members of the clan are the most respected and have the most authority.

Morven himself is by far the oldest and has consumed by far the most kin’toni blood. This means that he is worshipped due to him being the most powerful. This system works downwards from Morven until the lowliest and newest members of the clan. The distribution of blood is shared from the top of this ladder downwards. The older members need more blood to survive so part of this is based on necessity. They are also the most important and demand the most blood. In return for this the oldest members are required make the most kills in any hunts or battles that the clan does.

A good way for a newer member to climb the ranks faster is to make many kills in battle. A good way for an older member to starve or weaken themselves is to not perform well in the hunts. The Blood Hunts are a ritualistic part of the Lydac kin’toni clan’s culture. Many of the clan members must have blood very often in order to actually survive. These hunts can occur daily in seasons where the blood nearby is scarce. Often the clan will travel great distances to harvest ripe towns or cities. Often these towns and cities will have defences, but to kill a hungry Lydac kin’toni who stands twice as tall as any zu’aan warrior is not an easy task.

The clan may take injuries and losses in these hunts, but generally their enhanced metabolism will assist them with quick healing, provided they eat. Those who are too badly injured are simply left behind. The clan holds strength above all, and those who are too weak to defeat their enemies, or too weak to battle through their injuries are not wanted. The younger members usually die in the hunts more than older ones. This process serves to make so only the strongest new members make it into the higher ranks of the clan. The members who make the most kills in a hunt will be prioritised.

Obviously, the older members have an advantage due to their superior physical power and fighting experience. This means that usually the older members are the ones who consume the most as it should be. Occasionally a promising young member who passed the trials and was accepted into the clan will make many kills on a hunt. The elders will recognise this, and they will respect the rules of their culture and grant that particular kin’toni extra blood for their efforts.

Government

The Lydac kin’toni clan government is based off of strength. The Lydac culture is based around the idea that only the strongest will survive to grow older and larger. With the way that the Lydac function biologically, the oldest members will be the largest and the strongest. Morven and his brother Ikaros were the strongest by far and commanded the most respect from the other members. During the years where Ikaros was still alive the two brothers ruled together in tandem. After his death in battle, Morven took complete control of the Lydac kin’toni clan.

There were no others in existence that were close to his level of blood consumption. Not only was he the strongest and the oldest, but he was also the clan’s founder. The Lydac follow Morven usually, and many fear him too much to dispute his decisions even if they do disagree with them. The clan’s ‘strength above all’ motto can also cancel out Morven’s leadership sometimes. If multiple strong members want to contest an important decision they can band together in opposition to Morven. The strength of many is greater than the strength of one.

This rarely occurs as Morven has the option to invoke the ritual known to the Lydac as ‘the rites’. This means that Morven will challenge the opposition to a fight to the death or submission. During the rites, the opposition must choose one champion to represent them. Taking on Morven in a one on one situation is generally not a good idea. While sometimes Morven just concedes and allows the clans stronger members to discuss a different way of doing things. He most often will stand firm, and only once have the other members of the clan tried to stand up against their legendary leader.

Morven wanted to march on a certain zu’aan city. The clan collectively agreed that attacking this zu’aan city was a bad idea. The city was too strong for them to defeat especially after the loss of Ikaros, one of their strongest members. Morven would not give on this, but surprisingly in this case, the clan members themselves were the ones to invoke the rites. They knew that Morven had not fed in some time and would be weak with starvation. The sent forward the best warrior they could. The clan members knew Morven was too mad with rage to lead them well and wanted the clan to continue without an erratic leader.

Morven defeated the warrior, albeit with a degree of difficulty. From that moment on no one invoked the rites on Morven again. Morven made sure to cement his position as the strongest and worked hard for every moment after this duel to make sure he too strong for anyone to challenge. His legendary strength is not only built out of lust of power but out of necessity to make sure he can remain the leader of the Lydac clan. The Lydac clan remains a form of dictatorship that follows Morven’s every command. However, he always asks the clan members for their thoughts and opinions.

Military

The Lydac kin’toni clan have relatively small numbers, but because every single member must fight in order to survive and become stronger, their army is actually quite sizeable. The Lydac military is organised into three branches. These branches are decided by the age of the warriors in each. The oldest warriors are placed into the first branch, known as the Toamalki. This is the smallest section of the army as there are not many older members who meet the age requirement to enter this elite branch. This branch is well known throughout many parts of the continent for their strength and brutality. Morven himself is a part of the Toamalki.

This branch rarely fights without assistance from the other branches because their number is so small. One can distinguish the Toamalki in battle due to their immense size and physical power. The second branch contains all the members who have managed to survive the trials they must face as newly recruited members of the clan. The new members are the most expendable and are given the deadliest jobs in battle most often. Only the strongest new members will survive to be become the Mataralki.

The Mataralki are the middle branch of the military that contains all the members who have been in the clan for five years or are too young still to venture into the Toamalki ranks. These warriors are generally good fighters who have some experience and a strong will to survive. This branch is used in almost every major battle and are the most used on hunting raids in search of kin’toni blood. The third branch contains all the new members of the clan who have not been in the clan for more than five years. These new members are usually smaller kin’toni who are either new kin’toni recruits or newly turned zu’aan.

This branch of the military is known as the Limitalki. The Limitalki are the most expendable members of the clan and are usually sent to the frontlines of the battlefield where they can serve as shields to the stronger members behind. The casualties among the Limitalki are the highest. Most of them are very driven to survive so they can become Mataralki where they can gain a degree of respect. Morven is the military leader of the Lydac kin’toni clan. He drafts the battle plans and makes the important decisions. He himself also partakes in almost every major battle that occurs.

He is the clan’s mightiest warrior can slay a dozen of zu’aan or kin’toni by himself due to his massive size and strength. The clan’s older members or Toamalki are usually asked to look over any battle plans he makes to check their merit. Usually Morven will consider their advice and will often apply it to the plans. The Limitalki are the most expendable and usually fight in the frontlines of pitched battles. They are backed up with the stronger Mataralki lines which are dotted with the few Toamalki members often including Morven himself.

Religion

The Lydac kin’toni clan are not very religious. Mostly they have a strong belief in the clan’s ‘strength above motto’ and its meaning. Many of the younger members see Morven as a sort of god. He is essentially immortal and possess great strength and power which can make him appear godlike. Some of the clan’s members that originated from other kin’toni clans still hold some practices from their old religion. Morven and the clan in general are open to other clan’s religions. Religion doesn’t matter to them as long as the member is loyal toward the clan and its goals.

It is common for many members to pray or worship together as they all follow the same religion. Morven is worshipped by many as a sort of living god. The members of the clan who partake in this religion are often the older kin’toni who have fought many battles and lived many years at Morven’s side. They have witnessed his power in battle and also his immortality. Whilst Morven does not allow members to worship or pray to him whilst he is around, these worshippers have had to pray in different ways. These religious members can often be found worshipping the statue of Morven that can be found in the hometown of the Lydac clan in the Urndel Silkglades.

They always attend any events that Morven hosts and make sure to accompany him whenever possible. Morven is aware of his followers, while he cannot publicly endorse them, he is pleased with their existence. To have a legion of fanatical followers is one of the ways he makes sure that no one can successfully challenge his position as the strongest member. Those who do worship Morven believe that his is a god descended from the heavens to punish the evildoers in the world. They believe that he is all powerful and knowledgeable.

This means that they think Morven knows about every move they make. Their everyday lives are changed as they believe that Morven can watch them. The pledge themselves to the service of their god on earth at all times and almost only do things that will in some way assist Morven. The religious members also are generally unhappy with the other religious members that are contained within its ranks. They cannot see why these members cannot see the god that stands right in front of them and instead chose to worship some random entity that they cannot even be sure exists.

The Morven worshippers’ numbers have steadily increased over the years as more and more members survive longer with the effects of consuming kin’toni blood. They cannot deny Morven’s power and immortality and begin to see that he does appear to be very inhuman. He was also the one who discovered the secret to consuming other kin’toni’s blood and many of the older, more powerful members are extremely grateful to him for their chance at immortality. The worshipping congregations can now be seen in mass twice a week by the Morven statue when they are not out hunting.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Lydac Kin'toni Clan

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