Qua'kal Bur'wor Kin'toni Clan

History

The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan is one of the most primitive of the clans of the Twilight Age. They are hunter gatherers of the bog, and they have taken their primary residence in the Umalassa Swamp. History of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan is hard to reconstruct, as they neither write nor read, only scrabbling some pictograms in ancient stones. As these stones are often submerged - Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni are nearly amphibian -, to find and “read” them is exceedingly rare. The extant hieroglyphs, pieced together with the garbled sayings of members of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan.

They where extracted vie “interrogation” by zu'aan inquisitors seem to indicate that they believe themselves descendants of the toad-god Chumupilec, and that that would “explain” their amphibian characteristics. However, they actually believe in eight gods and goddesses all of which had a hand on creating them. The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni have split almost fractally, with each of their tribes fractioning into more and more sub-tribes as the time goes on. It seems their demographical limit is rather high and the population growth has not stopped in the 244 years the clan has lasted so far.

Of course this is due to their little regard for whom they turn. Any member of Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni can turn any and as many (or as little) zu'aan as they please into kin'toni, without any kind of attack or limiting rule from others in their tribe or clan. Other clans limit their input to just a few select individuals, but the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni convert anyone in any circumstances, limited by their will and capacity to do so alone. In fact it is considered a bit of a discourtesy to turn down someone that asks to be turned (though their blood may be consumed in any case).

As it is “flattering” for a Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni to be asked to convert someone to their clan, even if it is a lowly zu'aan, old, young or sick. Of course with their enemies often being strangled, many don’t have the opportunity to vocalize such request before it is too late… The ever-growing numbers of Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni lead the zu'aan and even some of the other kin'toni to regard them as a plague (not “the” Plague, of course). This is most unfortunate for the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni since they are regularly attacked and persecuted.

Sometimes the tide may turn and the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni lash out viciously, so they can never be eradicated. Their homes are in bogs and swamps, qhich makes their territory very hard to penetrate for any intruder. Besider the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni they have to deal with mosquitoes, blood-sucking giant flies, piranhas and leeches that inhabit those shallow waters and muddy reaches. When the core of the swamp is at stake, the house always wins, and that house is the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni. A foolish zu'aan of the Uledunti city once believed that due to his “grand army”.

With “recovered ancient artifacts” would be able to finally “exterminate the Qua’kal nuisance once and for all”. He marched with a division hundreds strong of elite soldiers into the core of the Abradafas Bog Slime. Parades were held when the legion left the city, the town jubilant for its undefeated veteran and conqueror. None of the soldiers ever returned, and the name of such duke is damned even to legend.

Biology

Members of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan sport dark red irises with black sclera and vertical beaded pupils. Their eyes have the capability of seeing nearly perfectly at night and even under the swampy waters they tend to inhabit. They have longer than average hands and feet with webbed toes, which allows them to be excellent and fast swimmers. Though they are good swimming in river waters, they abhor saltwater, which quickly destroys their skin and obstructs their pores. As such they can’t swim in the sea or in open oceans. The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan have made a name for themselves as stranglers.

They are nearly unique in that they don’t use external weapons of any kind, relying entirely in their bodies for close quarters combat. They quickly asphyxiate enemies with their very long arms and are even able to do so with their legs. The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni are exceedingly flexible, having reverse-flippable joints. Their skin color can look green, but this is due to symbiotic photosynthetic algae and mold. This is worthy as both camouflage and an additional source of metabolic energy. Though they need the ocassional drinking of zu'aan blood or consumption of zu'aan flesh to survive.

The majority of the diet of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni is composed of insects and, less commonly, fish. They eat flies, scarabs, and dragonflies foremost. They have long tongues and few teeth, since they prefer to devour the insects’s bodies whole and let their strong digestive systems do the rest. Ladybugs are a delicacy in the eyes of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni and to eat them in public is seen as a privilege and a sign of high social rank. Lower ranking social members will gift live ladybugs to the individuals with which they want to ingratiate themselves.

The flexible limbs of clan members are exemplar in the production of collagens. Even the bones of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan members are more flexible than normal, being able of bending instead of shattering. Along with the flexibility, the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan has other “gifts” to offer. One of them is doubtlessly related to regeneration. It is said members are able to regenerate lost limbs and have an enhanced ability to repair their skin from scratches and cuts. This is why the people of the zu'aan had to specialize themselves to fighting with war hammers, morning stars and other “crushing-type” weapons.

In order to kill the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni in a “definitive” way. However this brings problems of their own since the agility of the clan’s people means such attacks can more or less be easily avoided in most cases. The hardest difficulty to overcome from these assaults is the full armor the zu'aan can occasionally wear, but at the same time this is their doom in the bog, condemning them to sink and drown, as well as easily oxidating in the water. Steel metal is a contaminant to the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan, they are allergic to it and they consider it cursed.

If enemies fall while wearing steel wares, Clan members will take them with rags and throw it out of the swamp in a sort of “purification ceremony”.

Culture

“Pity” is a meaningful word for the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni. Some believe they even pity themselves and their own condition. But most pity much more the “pathetic” zu'aan, which is why they are always ready to convert them, should they ask. On the other hand, the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan is considered “ugly” and “disgusting” by most zu'aan, so as long as their morality has an aesthetic criterion, few will consider joining their ranks – even on the face of death. The dreadful and distorted faces of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni, with their intense red irises surrounding multiple pupils.

Does little to allay any fears of losing their culture and even their “humanity” when joining such a dreadful band of “monsters”. Nontheless any Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni worth their salt will feel honored should they ever hear a request from a zu'aan to be turned, and will try to treat them “to the best of their ability” to help them into their conversion to a Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni. This ritual is called the Marukas’nor and involves a very long series of steps of induction into the ways of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan, from eating flies and insects.

To frolicking in the mud pools, to drinking from the goo fountains of the Abradafas Bog Slimes. To guide a “newreborn” along the steps of initiation brings honor to oneself and one’s family amongst the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan as a whole. You would be helping the clan to expand and to fill more niches, to have more “Brothers and sisters” and to prosper. To not be able to procreate normally is a tragedy in the eyes of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni. They are all too aware of the infertility of the kin'toni and that is why they will actively seek to have “sons and daughters” through conversion.

Though anyone can be adopted (elderly turned can be “adopted” as well as the “grandfathers” of a family), children are the most highly valued to be converted. Children are said to bring joy to the bog and the elders enjoy seeing them play and playfully strangle each other occasionally. Members of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan build ramshackle homes and huts near the brink of bog lagoons. They like to dive into the lagoons to hunt for fish and insects. The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni compete about who can hold their breath underwater the longest.

The regular member can hold their breath for over seven minutes, compared to about 30-45 seconds by the zu'aan. These competitions can be casual, or a big cultural event where battle-leaders and village chiefs compete for the longest time underwater. If anyone dies, the community will feast on their bodies. Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan have a rather simple social structure where any rank is open to the claimant technically. What matters is not the name of the rank but rather the number of followers. Someone claiming the rank of Chief but with few followers will be considered lower ranking than a mere Huntmaster but with a lot of followers.

This way “you shall know the bearer by the news they bring”.

Government

The “government” of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni is rather decentralized, as far as it can be told to exist. Tribal chiefs will periodically gather and discuss their common objectives and differences, as well as their course of action. Tribal chiefs cannot represent their own opinions in these meetings, but only the opinions of their own families, adopted brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and elders. To put one’s own ego above the family is considered a deadly sin, and it is said these sinners are “sha’mulod”, or condemned to pass the eternity of time at the bottom of the bog being stung ceaselessly by water-spiders.

The following are considered important roles in the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni tribes:

Rahun Chief: The chief is the leader of the village or tribe and they are the ones who assign the tasks to the tribe members to work on. The chief also leads the tribe/village in meetings with other tribes/villages and they are the ones who make the decisions during the meetings.

Tamakos Witch-doctors: Tamakos are claimed sorcerers and spiritual leaders. They are central figures in tribal societies and are regarded as the holiest of people. They are the spiritual guides, the warriors of faith, and the medicine men and women. They are the central figure in tribal life, and their powers can be vitally important to the tribe's survival. Tamakos Witch-doctors lead small family communities, specializing in the hunting and gathering of food. Tamakos Witch-doctors are often the oldest male or female in a family unit, and are responsible for keeping the rest of the family fed and safe.

Ladebros Shaman: The Shaman is a spiritual leader. Ladebros shamans are the doctors and the law of the land. Any dispute is cleared by the Shaman. Shamans can influence the minds of people with noxious vapors to get what they want or to make them do what the Shaman wants. The Ladebros Shamans are the only persons considered “ritually pure” enough to light a fire.

Dihoyn Shamans: They have the power to heal and invigorate. They are the lifeblood of the tribe as they can bring lost tribesman back from the brink of death with especial herbal essences.

Lenka Sorceresses: The legacy of “magic” is considered rare in the Lenka cult. It is said possible only when a child was turned with both a man and a woman's heart was at stake. Lenka Sorceresses, rare and respected, are the clan's most important members. They have the gift of spirit and knowledge, which they use to help the clan. The Lenka aren’t used for warfare, this is left to the warriors.

Parun-warriors of Norgis: Able bodied males which are consagrated as hunters and wasrriorss, but they may also be trackers and discoverers. A Parun-warrior of Norgiss must be able to use his hands and fast feet to kill and to defend himself, but also his wits to track and to find new places where the people in the group might be able to live. At any time the Parun-Warrior of Orgis must be ready to hunt or to fight.

Military

Much as they don’t believe in strict formal hierarchies, members of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan don’t believe in massive, multi-layered military organization. They trust their instincts to tell them when they need to band together in a crisis, and the permanent council of chiefs and elders should always be more or less up to date with the important happenings of their Clan. Should dire times come to pass, the Council would issue a warning to every chief and minor leader, so that everyone may protect the clan as a whole. Without this solidarity there would have been no survival.

This is against the many crusades and extermination attempts the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan has had to endure along the centuries. This, basically, is about survival. As the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan fights without weapons, they have no ranged combat; closest is hurling stones to their opponents. This is why numerical advantage is key and the tribes will enlist even children and teenagers into their war bands, so long as they can help swarm opponents. To be recruited at a young physical age for an attack is considered an honor, and the little ones attack their objectives with joy.

To note, however, than to be a kid externally doesn’t necessarily mean they are really children; since kin'toni don’t age as normal. Offensive operations are much less coordinated and depend on local leaders and their confederation with others. Leaders and tribes need to call their brethren and “extended family” in order to do combat against the zu'aan populations. There are extensive negotiations about how to distribute the war spoils before this is sealed as a deal. Deals are sealed in the very blood of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan which is used to write glyphs and drawings into each other’s skin before the war.

These drawings represent the promises of aid as well as the treasure (people and food, not different from each other) expected from the raid results.

Religion

The eight gods and goddesses of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan are the most prominent features of their religion, though there are other minor deities and idols associated with each particular tribe. The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan depicts their gods and goddesses as animals with anthropoid head, as can be plainly seen in their few known rock scrawlings. This is believed by some scholars to represent the duality of the kin'toni as “civilized and beasts” at the same time, the intersection between biology and culture, of nature and choice.

Silimetra is the “Grandmother Goddess” and patron of the elderly and crafts. It ensures the transmission of knowledge between generations. Her sign is an ancient Tulpid tree with arms like branches. She is depicted as an elderly crocodile with white hair. Tandoria is the godmother deity. She guides the newly converted kin'toni and helps them learn the customs of the clan. She is consecrated to the “new ones” and is said to protect them from bullying, deliberately bad teachings, and other unsavory practices known as “Pranks”. Her sign is a hand sheltering a child.

She is depicted as a hippopotamus with flowing blonde hair. On the flip side Terminculus is the prankster god. Though not really evil, his pranks can kill. He is egotistical and capricious. Loves torturing people newly abducted into the clan since “pranks teach the principles of life better than any other ritual. He is honored by the dominant males of several tribes, either in private or in public. His sign is a branch covered in green slime. He is depicted as a sasquatch-bird. Do’matinus is the god of murder. He is considered scary but that is why his tribute is seldom not served.

It is said that if someone from the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan does not honor Do’matinus at least in homicidal intent at least once, Do’matinus may wake up from his slumber and strangle them himself. He prefers his enemies sleeping, to creep near their bed or equivalent, and to strangle them on their sleep. His sign are strangling hands with long, dirty fingernails. He is the only of the eight main gods depicted fully in anthropoid, not animal shape. Chumupilec is the legendary father-god of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan. He is a big, inflated toad covered in pustules.

Despite or because this, he is considered healthy and a sign of protection. Chiefs worship principally Chumupilec. The first insect eaten each day is consecrated to him with a short chant. He is said to bring abundant animal food. The dark brother of Chumupilec is Asnepilec. Asnepilec is a blood-drinking winged bat-donkey, and patron of the vampiric legacy of the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan. He also is related to food, but only so far this food is the blood and meat of the zu'aan. It is necessary to pray for him if one wants a good hunt, and to offer in his name the first blood of a day, or week.

He is the giver and taker of lifeblood and may become very angry if his name isn’t respected. The Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan doesn’t have priests, each person worships separately, but publicly as well as privately. The faith of individuals is believed to show their character.

Miscellany

The culinary abilities of this clan are nothing to scoff at. They can prepare several dishes based only on the purest bog products. This is a list of some plants and animals the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni Clan has learned to eat across the centuries:

Tsubame Fly: The tsubame fly is used to the heat. They come in all different colors, like the swamps around them. When they wake up, they stretch their wings and fly around, looking for a nice place to lay their eggs. After they lay their eggs, the parents leave them alone, and the little fly- hatchlings will do the same.

Remipas Dragonflies: Remipas dragonflies are large dragonflies with yellow, black and brown colors. They have huge black eyes, and their bodies are covered with tiny spines. They have powerful tails and wings, able to be torn out from the body at will. Remipas are said in legends to have a strong sense of right and wrong, and they are very judgmental. In fairytales, they live in large clans, with each clan having a dragon-king who rules over their territory and issues taxes to the rest of the Clans. Remipas are considered very organized and militaristic.

Centredians: The Centredi are a race of arthropods that are very similar to the spiders of the arachnid family. They have eight legs (four pairs) and are very intelligent. They live in huge underground lairs made of silk and other materials. They are obese and their body is covered with fat mats. Their fat is incredibly sticky and they use it to trap small creatures and use them as food.

Atavic Horseflies: Atavic Horseflies are a primitive species of insect-like creatures. They are large, with robust bodies and short, stubby wings. They have a strange affinity for the elements and can manipulate drafts with their wings. They lay their eggs in water and the young develop inside the egg. They eat plants and raw materials. Atavic Horseflies are, in general, a lazy, dull-witted species. They are, however, capable of developing a sudden burst of agility and intelligence when needed. These Horseflies are dry, dull, and slow-moving, but when motivated they can perform incredible feats of agility and acrobatic skill.

Dilendian Water Ticks: Dilendian Water Ticks are fairly small, and their bodies are covered in water-repelling slime. These creatures lives in the water and are capable of swimming fast. They are very efficient at draining the water out of lakes and rivers and can even knock down buildings with the force of their blows. One strange ability that they seem to have is the ability to attach themselves to any surface and travel through the air as if they were a spider. They can also climb smooth surfaces like walls. They are not very intelligent beings and do not seem to be capable of speaking (as would be expected of a tick). They are especially valuable to the kin'toni due to their sucked blood content.

Despite this culinary variety, the Qua’kal Bur’wor kin'toni never cook their food (except for rare shamanic purposes), though they might mix it.

Nearby Groups

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Qua'kal Bur'wor Kin'toni Clan

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